A significant weekend bus strike threatening to disrupt around 60 routes in north-west and south-west London has been largely called off, following a pay deal accepted by the majority of the affected workers. The strike, which was due to begin early on Friday 12 September and last until Sunday evening, involved Unite union members employed by London United and London Transit bus companies. The dispute centred around pay and working conditions, with London United employees accepting a proposed pay offer on Wednesday, leading to the cancellation of their planned industrial action.

This development follows a pattern of ongoing pay disputes and industrial actions within London's bus services. Earlier in the year, approximately 1,600 London United bus drivers had rejected a four per cent pay offer, arguing it amounted to a real-terms pay cut since the Retail Price Index inflation was at 5.1 per cent at the time. This had prompted a ballot for potential strike action expected to affect around 70 routes across west and south-west London, covering areas such as Chiswick, Brentford, Acton, Ealing, Putney, and Hammersmith. However, the latest acceptance of a pay offer this September indicates some progress in negotiations to prevent service disruption.

The broader context includes similar disputes within London’s transport sector. For instance, in January 2024, bus control room staff at Abellio depots in Battersea and Twickenham, also represented by Unite, launched a series of strikes over pay disagreements. These strikes disrupted services on at least 18 routes, with workers rejecting a five per cent pay increase, viewing it as effectively a pay cut in real terms. Additionally, in September 2022, a planned strike involving Arriva bus drivers in north London was called off after the union secured an 11 per cent pay offer, underscoring the importance of negotiations in averting widespread industrial action.

Transport for London and bus operators have generally welcomed the suspensions or call-offs of strikes, recognising the critical importance of maintaining service continuity in the capital’s extensive transport network. Throughout recent years, strikes have been a recurring feature as workers seek to counteract the impact of inflation on their earnings amid cost-of-living pressures.

Looking beyond buses, London’s transport workers have been involved in other industrial actions; for example, the Rail, Maritime and Transport (RMT) union initiated a series of strikes on the London Underground in early September 2025 over pay and working conditions. Such actions highlight the wider challenges faced across London’s public transport workforce in balancing fair remuneration and operational demands.

The recent partial resolution of the bus dispute in London’s north-west and south-west areas may signal a temporary easing of tensions, but the ongoing history of pay-related disputes within the city’s public transport services suggests that such conflicts may continue unless broader, sustainable agreements on pay and conditions are reached.

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Source: Noah Wire Services