Wildcat London bus action, complete with blockades

Bus staff start protesting over Olympics bonus payments

Action by bus workers halted 33 services during the morning peak today.

Workers trapped vehicles in the depots and police had to be summed to halt the protests and let vehicles out.

The wildcat action was condemned as "deplorable" by Transport for London (TfL.)

Workers were protesting over failed demands for a £500-a-time Olympic bonuses.

It came as union bosses at Unite, staging its annual general meeting at Brighton, decided the next course of action which has already led to a 24-hour strike in pursuit of the bonuses for all 20,000 plus staff.

The protests took place at the Holloway Road, Cricklewood, Waterloo, Wood Green and Tottenham depots.

A TfL spokesman said “Protesters at five bus garages caused disruption to 33 bus services this morning. The Metropolitan Police Service were called in each case and all buses have now resumed passenger service.

"The payment of bus staff for the Olympic and Paralympic Games is a matter for the private companies who employ them. Any disruption to transport services for Londoners is simply deplorable especially in circumstances where the employers’ offer has not even been put to the bus workers themselves”.

The protest came as 220 workers at the Boris Bike scheme were awarded £500 Olympic bonuses - putting added pressure on the capital's private sector bus operators to pay their staff the same amount.