Teamsters Stand In Solidarity With British Bus Workers

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• Publié par: international-brotherhood-of-teamsters
• Nombre de lectures: 21
• Langue: English

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Teamsters Stand In Solidarity With British Bus

Workers

PR Newswire

WASHINGTON, June 6, 2012

- More Than 24,000 Workers Could Strike During 2012 Olympics

WASHINGTON

,

June 6, 2012

/PRNewswire/ -- The Teamsters Union stands in

solidarity with sister union Unite in the

United Kingdom

and the more than

24,000 Unite bus workers in a six-month labor dispute that holds the potential

to disrupt the 2012 Olympics in

London

.

London

's bus workers could strike during the Olympics if their employers

continue to resist negotiating over compensation. A vote on a possible strike

action will be completed on

June 8

. In a recent consultative ballot of the union's

members, 95 percent backed a strike ballot.

Bus workers are the only transport workers in the city that are not receiving

additional compensation for the projected mass increase in work during the

Olympics.

Unions in the U.K. have already negotiated bonus compensation for workers on

the London Docklands Light Railway, the London Underground, London Rail

"Overground" and Virgin Railways.

London

's bus routes are franchised by a public body, Transport for

London

, but

the routes are operated by 21 private companies, including multinationals

FirstGroup, Stagecoach and Go-Ahead. Despite Unite's repeated requests, all of

the bus companies have refused to meet to discuss plans for the games.

"The Teamsters Union stands by our sister union, Unite, and the thousands of

bus workers who want to welcome the world to their city for the Olympics," said

Jim Hoffa, Teamsters General President. "The spirit of these games should not

be tarnished by the refusal of the city's private bus operators to respect

workers and compensate them fairly."

"Bus workers are prepared to go above and beyond the call of duty to make

the Olympics a success, but they cannot be ignored. The behaviour of

Transport for

London

and the bus companies is a mass dereliction of duty to

London

, to visitors and to the workers who keep our city running," said Peter

Kavanagh, Unite's Regional Secretary for

London

.

"We want to thank the Teamsters Union in America and the global labor

movement for their continued support, which is crucial because the world will

be watching London this summer. People across the globe who will be viewing

the games need to know just how irresponsible Transport for

London

and the

London bus companies are being. If there is disruption up to and during the

Olympics it will be because the bus companies and Transport for

London

failed

in their duty to

London

."

With

London

's population of nearly eight million expected to swell during the

games, an additional burden will be placed on the city's transport system and

its workers. Nearly one million additional passengers are expected to travel on

buses during the Olympics.

Unite has called for a payment of about

$750

to recognize and reward bus

workers. The payment would equate to about

$25

per day per worker.

A recent survey of passengers showed nearly 90 percent supported rewarding

London

's bus workers during the Olympics.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents more

than 1.4 million hardworking men and women in the United

States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Visit www.teamster.org for more information.

Follow us on Twitter @Teamsters.