Drivers from Holloway bus garage joined a protest against cuts to bus routes

BUS drivers threatened by cuts are preparing to ballot for strike action over poverty pay.

Walkouts across north London could take place just after school children return from the summer break if drivers vote for it to go ahead this week.

Around 300 people, including drivers from the Holloway bus garage as well as teachers and NHS staff, were out in force on Saturday demonstrating against cuts to bus routes proposed by Transport for London (TfL) as well as pay rise offers.

The cuts could leave 16 routes axed including the No 4,  while the 214 would vanish from London. Asked whether a strike could happen, No 4 driver Patrick Paul said: “It looks like it. People are willing to fight back – enough is enough. It’s time for us to be treated fairly.

“We worked hard during the pandemic, we lost colleagues along the way and [we’ve had] a little clap here saying well done and that’s it.

“Why can’t they prove that we’re valued? It’s not like they’re at a [financial] loss – they’re not.”

Mr Paul, who is a Unite union rep at Holloway garage, said drivers are worried about keeping their jobs and struggling to pay bills in the cost of living crisis. He said a recent 4.5 per cent pay offer, with an extra 1 per cent added to their wages next year, does not match inflation, which is at a 40-year high of 12.3 per cent.

Mr Paul added that school children, the disabled and the elderly had also been “thrown under the bus” by the current Tory government over their refusal to properly fund TfL.

Today (Friday), drivers from eight bus garages across north London, including Holloway and King’s Cross, have been asked by their union to vote against the pay offers. A rejection of the pay deal would trigger a postal ballot on striking, with bus companies then being given 28 days’ notice before the walkout.

Britain’s buses were privatised in 1994 under plans masterminded by a Conservative government.

Comfort Delgro, Metroline’s parent company based in Singapore, saw a 114 per cent rise in profits last year while the CEO was paid £1.2million.

A Metroline spokesperson said: “We agreed pay deals with our unions throughout the pandemic and expect to continue negotiations with them about an offer that closes the gap with their aspirations. We remain hopeful that we can negotiate a pay increase and avoid industrial action and the disruption that this would cause to our passengers.

“The profit margin in our latest accounts was 1.3 per cent and covers a period before spiralling costs. We certainly do not put profits before passengers and use what we earn to support the delivery of high-quality services to all of our customers and enable us to investment in zero-emission vehicles.”