Unite gets 96 per cent support from bus drivers for strike over pay

London's 22,000 bus drivers today took the first step towards strike action as they bid to force bosses into introducing a single pay rate.

A Unite union ballot found 96 per cent of drivers were prepared to walkout unless London’s 17 bus operators agreed to end “glaringly unfair” pay disparities.

A strike could take place early in the New Year if approved in a further ballot and would be the first since drivers went on strike to secure a £577 bonus for working during the London Olympics.

There is no collective pay deal for bus drivers in the capital. Their pay is negotiated on a company by company basis, which Unite says leads to pay inequality.

Bus drivers typically earn less than half of a Tube driver’s £50,000 salary.

Unite wants bus operators to establish a collective negotiating forum that covers the pay and conditions for all London’s bus drivers.