London bus drivers to strike 26 days

More than 1,500 bus drivers employed by Arriva North London are due to strike on 26 dates from August 14 to October 20 in a dispute over working conditions during extreme heat, according to Unite. The union said drivers at eight garages in north London and Essex backed the action after complaining that cab temperatures had reached 40 degrees Celsius or more during recent heatwaves. The walkouts are set to affect services operated from Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green. Unite said the dispute centers on heat protections and the type of cooling fitted in driver cabs. ### Which drivers are walking out, and where? Arriva North London drivers based at eight garages are involved in the action, Unite said. Those depots are Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green, covering routes across north London and parts of Essex. (unitetheunion.org) Arriva says it is one of London’s largest bus operators and runs 98 routes in the capital under contract to Transport for London. That means any strike at multiple north London garages could ripple across a large part of the network, even though the dispute is limited to one operator’s London business. ### Why are drivers striking over heat? Unite said the dispute was triggered by complaints about “poor working conditions in hot weather” and by what it described as ineffective cooling systems in buses used by Arriva North London. (unitetheunion.org) The union said most of the fleet has air-cooling rather than full air-conditioning. (arrivabus.co.uk) The union said those systems lowered temperatures by only two or three degrees during recent heatwaves, leaving some driver cabs at 40C or above. Unite said drivers had reported heat exhaustion, heat stroke and dehydration this summer. ### How long will the disruption last? (unitetheunion.org) Unite said the action will take place on 26 separate dates between August 14 and October 20. Reports published this week said the stoppages begin next week and run across August, September and October rather than as one continuous shutdown. The Independent said the timing raises the prospect of disruption during the summer holiday period and during other planned transport pressures in London. A separate report citing the union said some strike dates overlap with planned Piccadilly line closures in August and September. ### What is Unite asking Arriva to do? (unitetheunion.org) Unite said it wants Arriva to improve conditions so drivers are protected during extreme heat. Reports citing the union said drivers are seeking buses fitted with effective air conditioning rather than systems that pull in outside air. Arriva’s public service-updates page directs passengers to location-specific disruption notices, but the company page retrieved in current search results did not include a detailed statement on the labor dispute itself. (independent.co.uk) The company’s London division says it works under contract to Transport for London, which typically provides journey-planning information for affected routes. (ca.news.yahoo.com) ### Where should passengers look before traveling? Arriva’s service-updates page is the company’s main public channel for disruption notices by area. Transport for London journey planners and stop-by-stop service information are also likely to be the practical sources for route-level changes once the strike dates begin. August 14 is the first scheduled strike date cited in reports this week, and Unite said the action is due to continue on selected dates through October 20. (arrivabus.co.uk) Passengers using Arriva-run routes from Barking, Edmonton, Enfield, Grays, Palmers Green, Stamford Hill, Tottenham and Wood Green will be the first to see whether reduced service plans are posted. (unitetheunion.org)