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Tube strike pay talks break down

Three unions are in dispute with London Underground over pay
Talks to avert a new wave of Tube strikes have broken down between London Underground (LU) and three unions.

Members of the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union and Unite will vote on strike action over pay.

The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association reversed its acceptance of the pay deal. Transport for London (TfL) said its offer was "very fair".

The unions rejected a two-year pay rise of 1.5% now and a retail price index plus 0.5% rise in year two.

'Damaging dispute'

A spokesman for the RMT said no date had been set for its "imminent" two-week ballot.

If its members voted for industrial action, a strike could take place before the end of December.






Lets now watch as the tiny RMT Taxi section scab on their union mates and fill their pockets.

Brothers in arms, Divided we fall, Unions unite . . . and other socialist sheeite they utter.

Train drivers to vote on strikes


Train drivers who failed to volunteer for work on Remembrance Sunday are to be balloted for strike action over pay.

The action by First Capital Connect drivers could threaten pre-Christmas travel disruption as well as weekdays.

All services between London and King's Lynn were cancelled on Sunday and 50 services failed to run on Wednesday because of a shortage of drivers.

First Capital said as many as half of its services on its Brighton to Bedford route could be cancelled on Thursday.

A spokesman apologised to customers for disruption in Bedfordshire, Norfolk, Surrey, Sussex, Cambridgeshire and London.

'Bucked recession'

Aslef said its members at First Capital Connect (FCC) will vote in the next few weeks on whether to launch a campaign of industrial action over a two-year pay offer.

The ballot will close on 9 December and the union will have to give seven days notice of any strike.

This threatens train stoppages just two weeks before Christmas if there is a yes vote.

Double deck buses replace bendy bus route


Number 38 is the third bendy bus route to be scrapped this year

The Victoria to Clapton Pond route will be serviced by double deck buses - between Victoria and Hackney Central and from Hackney to Clapton Pond.

The phasing out of bendy buses, one of Mayor Boris Johnson's election pledges, began in July with the 507 route followed by the 521 route in September.

Transport for London said it has increased the frequency of the service.

Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor of London's Transport Advisor, said: "Londoner's voted to boot out bendy buses and their numbers in the Capital are ever decreasing.

"We're pleased to be introducing double deck buses on this route and Transport for London will ensure that they run at a frequency that caters for the number of passengers using them."

Double bus fare

Two other routes - 18 and 149 - will stop running by the end of 2010. The seven remaining routes will go by the end of 2011.

Valerie Shawcross, Labour party's transport spokesperson on the London Assembly, said the cost of scrapping the three bendy bus routes will cost an estimated £3.3m a year.

She said: "Passengers will be simply now paying more for a worse service, thanks the policies of a Mayor who does not use the bus. How is this value for Londoners' money? (Ugly dyke woman)

"The bendy bus may not be popular with everyone but it is a cost-effective and cleaner way to move large numbers of people around the city." (Ugly dyke woman again)