When are the London bus strikes? Full list of dates as drivers to walk out again on Tuesday bringing fresh chaos
Bus drivers in London are set to go on strike again on Tuesday over working conditions in hot weather.
More than 1,500 Arriva North London bus drivers who are members of the Unite union took part in industrial action on Friday and Saturday bringing chaos to the bus network as the capital suffered through another heatwave.
Further walkout dates are planned in the coming weeks and months over concerns the company is not taking the issue seriously, with the next walkout due to take place from Tuesday to Friday this week.
Drivers liken their cabs to being in a greenhouse or oven, with temperatures exceeding 40C as a result of having no air conditioning in record heatwave conditions.
Drivers reported falling ill with heatstroke, refusing to drive buses and narrowly avoiding crashes as a result of their working conditions.
Most buses operated by Arriva North London have air cooling systems, which only manage to reduce temperatures by around two or three degrees Celsius rather than more effective air conditioning, the union said.
This means buses are still extremely hot for drivers and passengers, leading to health problems in the sweltering conditions.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said last week’s heatwave “caused even more problems for our members at Arriva North London, who have once again faced doing a demanding job in unbearable conditions.
“This problem is raised year after year and as the summers get hotter it can no longer be swept under the carpet.
“Arriva can afford to act on this serious issue, which puts both drivers and the general public at risk, and it must make this a priority.”
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Some 43 bus routes will be disrupted by the strikes. You can see the full list here .
5News aggregated this summary from the outlet’s public feed. The full article, with all the context, is on www.standard.co.uk — the content belongs to Evening Standard.