Strike dates have been announced in the Arriva London North dispute. Drivers are set to take action between 14 August and 20 October.
Most buses operated by Arriva North London have air cooling systems rather than more effective air conditioning. The air cooling system has only managed to reduce temperatures by around two or three degrees during the recent series of heatwaves and driver cabs can reach 40 degrees and higher.
Working in hot weather is dangerous for bus drivers. It can exacerbate the problem of fatigue, which puts drivers and the general public at risk.
Some drivers have experienced health problems from driving in hot weather this summer, including heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration.It will be a series of two and three days strikes, some of which are timed to coincide with the planned closures of the Tube's Piccadilly line in August and September, maximising disruption on those strike days.
London Mayor Sadiq Khan has previously backed the letter from Unite the union distributed to drivers advising them on their rights to refuse work in dangerous conditions, and a Bill of Rights motion has been passed through City Hall. London Assembly members should back this dispute.
Unite has a real chance to show other depots and drivers across London that industrial action can win. For too long conditions on the buses have fallen, with new drivers often brought in on worse terms and conditions.
The extreme heat is causing issues outside of the depots in dispute, and outside of London. Workers in National Express in the East Midlands have reported dangerous cab conditions there too.
This dispute is also about the victimisation of reps and activists who have taken action against unsafe working conditions and have then been suspended and sacked.
Strikes will take place at the Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green depots, on the following dates:
14-15, 18-21 August
4-5, 7-8, 18-19, 21-22 September
2-3, 5–6, 16–17, 19–20 October
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