Over Hundred Jobs at Risk at Putney Bus Garage
Petition launched against proposed scrapping of buses 14 and 74
A number 74 bus
Staff at the bus garage in Putney are encourage local people to sign a petition against the proposal by TfL to scrap the numbers 14 and 74 buses.
Their union Unite says that these two routes operate using 38 buses which requires three drivers per day meaning a potential loss on 114 jobs in Putney alone. Across London the proposed cuts could lead to the loss of 800 jobs.
The two routes which run from from Putney to Russell Square and Baker Street respectively have served Putney and Fulham for over 100 years. The union says they are both an important lifeline for many of residents including the elderly and disabled as these routes also pass three major hospitals, The Brompton, Chelsea and Westminster and The Cromwell. The route 74 is particularly heavily used by wheelchair bound passengers.
There are also plans to remove the number 11 route which runs from Fulham Broadway through Victoria. This will leave only the 414 (which gets rerouted) and the 22. The union believes that the remaining buses will be overcrowded and many will have to wait as buses roll past with the full sign up.
Unite has called for guarantees that jobs will not be lost and take-home pay will not fall, or it will prepare for industrial action. London’s bus drivers fear a loss of the overtime and rest day working which is relied upon to boost earnings.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said, “These cuts are an attempt to make London’s bus workers pay the price for the pandemic and we reject them entirely. The option of Unite taking industrial action to protect our members is fully on the table.
“Bus cuts also always harm those who can least afford to lose the bus service, our poorest communities. The mayor and the London Assembly must firmly reject TfL’s plans and stand up to the Westminster government.
“Don’t cut workers’ jobs and pay, don’t cut communities off. Instead, get on the side of working people and demand the funding needed to run a sustainable public transport system in London.”
Over 2,000 people have signed the petition already. As well as signing the petition, the staff at Putney Bus Garage are urging people to participate in the ongoing consultation by TfL on the cuts.
The consultation on these cuts closes on 12 July.
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June 17, 2022