Now, London Bus Strike Threatens To Disrupt Notting Hill Carnival: Workers Demand Fair Pay

Friday, July 18, 2025

Bus passengers successful West London could acquisition terrible disruption this summertime aft astir 2,000 London United and London Transit workers person voted to spell connected strike. The group, consisting of autobus drivers, engineers and controllers, is successful a statement pinch their employer, First Bus, complete backmost salary and tweaks to their salary day dates. The planned walkout, which could besides impact nan Notting Hill Carnival, will besides bring carrier chaos to tens of thousands of Londoners and tourists.

Here, we break down what led to nan salary dispute, whether nan Notting Hill Carnival could beryllium affected arsenic a consequence and wherever some nan workers and their employer guidelines connected nan matter.

The Pay Dispute: Workers’ Grievances

The logic up to now alleged logic down conflict is what workers state is simply a conflict complete wages and unpaid arrear salary aft First Bus, nan proprietor of London United and London Transit, took complete nan grounded RATP Dev Transit London successful early 2025. Workers who said to this newspaper said they person been near owed hundreds of pounds successful backmost salary from a net reappraisal completed successful December 2022, which they opportunity they are owed.

Unite union, which represents nan workers, said that nan company’s projected salary emergence would not dress up for nan agreed salary reviews from past December. The workers reason that nan salary connection does not screen nan afloat grade of nan changes that had been promised to them, leaving galore emotion undervalued and frustrated.

In summation to nan backmost salary row, unit person besides accused First of trying to alteration nan salary day day for immoderate workers. “They’re trying to crippled nan salary schedule for their use that overmuch more,” they say.

The existent contention besides involves a denial to reconstruct displacement activity allowances to those labor who had antecedently received them. Those premiums, workers argue, are an basal shape of compensation for nan gruelling work, peculiarly for those who activity successful high-demand areas, specified arsenic rush-hour autobus routes.

The Unite Union and Sharon Graham’s Role

The national has antecedently said workers astatine London United and London Transit person to header pinch terrible pressures of moving successful 1 of nan busiest municipality areas of nan world while facing utmost congestion. The activity is highly stressful, national representatives say, pinch drivers contending pinch rush-hour traffic, analyzable routes and schedules that let for hardly immoderate remainder betwixt shifts. In return, they are looking to beryllium paid fairly, including backmost pay, and to person due benefits.

Unite has stated they are not gonna return a measurement backmost from nan conflict connected nan streets and person indicated that if this is not resolved soon past that onslaught action proceeds, which would lead to wide disruption, peculiarly moreover successful nan The Notting Hill Carnival, 1 of nan biggest and nan champion events present successful London.

Implications for Notting Hill Carnival

Strike action couldn’t person travel astatine a worse clip for galore Londoners. Hundreds of thousands of group from each complete nan world flock to nan Notting Hill Carnival, which takes spot complete nan August slope holiday, galore of whom usage nationalist carrier to recreation to and from nan event. Should location beryllium a shortage of autobus services, a script of agelong delays, queues and disorder will create a situation of retired of municipality visitors near marooned and those relying connected nan autobus services struggling to activity retired replacement intends of transport.

Some of nan busiest autobus routes crossed Notting Hill and West London service awesome cities, peculiarly during awesome events for illustration nan Carnival. If nan workers strike, thousands of these journeys would beryllium cancelled aliases heavy delayed, stymying nan event’s soft operation. This would mean immense problems and annoyance to galore visitors and statement group who are coming to nan festival.

The Employer’s Case: First Bus Justifies Its Actions

The genitor institution of London United and London Transit, First Bus, said it was disappointed astatine nan projected business action. In a statement, nan patient that its salary connection was generous, indicating really overmuch it weighted its unit and that it would guarantee workers were protected from summation successful nan costs of living. The patient recognised nan financial pressures connected workers but said that its above-inflation net package was an effort to make strides connected this beforehand successful challenging economical conditions.

We’re disappointed autobus drivers person voted successful favour of business action arsenic we judge our connection is simply a adjacent 1 and demonstrates really overmuch we worth our colleagues,” a First Bus spokesperson said. “We proceed to stay unfastened to constructive talks and person a adjacent solution pinch Unite successful bid to debar immoderate disruption to service, peculiarly during nan Notting Hill Carnival.

But First Bus besides said it is experiencing financial pressures of its own, not slightest because of nan caller takeover and besides successful nan discourse of a difficult economical environment. The institution has said it was transparent successful negotiations pinch nan union, and would proceed to activity a adjacent outcome.

Election Mechanics and Potential Results

Strike action ballot opened connected July 17 and closes connected August 11. Should nan unit ballot successful favour of nan action, nan business action could disrupt nan August Bank Holiday adjacent month, which coincides pinch nan Notting Hill Carnival. The national has besides said it will do immoderate it takes to guarantee its members are treated reasonably and that could see costly and inconvenient work disruptions.

In nan interim, labor person called for a speedy resolution. Unite location serviceman Callum Rochford said: ‘First Bus should get backmost information nan array and forestall this business descending further. “Our members are doing a very difficult job, whether it’s driving busses successful unreserved hr connected nan streets of London; successful nan depots uncovering busses retired which tin beryllium made roadworthy; aliases moving pinch restored but only partially fresh for intent conveyance successful nan tally up to a parade. They merit to beryllium paid fairly,” Rochford added.

Conclusion: Tensions Remain High

With nan August ballot approaching, some sides person dug in. The workers are fighting for adjacent salary and conditions, while First Bus is holding its crushed connected salary and has rejected nan national entreaty for more. Strike action is simply a existent prospect, and this could lead to autobus services being heavy disrupted crossed West London, including today’s Notting Hill Carnival, which galore of these drivers will beryllium moving information nan timepiece complete nan weekend.

Londoners and visitors will beryllium peering anxiously astatine nan simmering dispute, hoping for a solution that tin guarantee nationalist proscription continues to tally connected clip for 1 of nan capital’s astir anticipated taste occasions. But aft days of tension, nan threat of upset is still very present.