2 years ago, Metroline drivers broke 7 years silence from the union and took strike action against the 2nd biggest transport transnational organization in the world. A visibly scared, and in some ways corrupt, union leadership backed down - and drivers agreed to pocket far less than their due before Christmas. They were the only section of the union to take action.

The next year Metroline bosses were unusually quick to meet the union’s (low) demands. Unite leaders, probably to save Ken Livingstone, appeared to shelve all disputes on the London buses.

Now we’ve got Boris Johnson who, let alone the buses, wants to smash the RMT on the tube. He has also declared he will raise transport fares by 6% next year, hitting working-class people hardest.

This year Arriva and First have reported record revenues and profits and Metroline parent company, Comfort Delgro has plans to become the largest and most profitable land transport organisation in the world within six years.

For drivers around London, the Metroline strike was inspiring and seemed to prove strong strike action possible.

This year, First drivers started things off on 29th August, having turned around an uneven membership three years ago into a solid union section across the garages. Metrobus drivers in Croyden, Orpington and Crawley joined for one day’s action on the 12th September. This Friday, the 2,500 drivers at Metroline will be out again, voting 88.5% for strike, boosting the strikers to 6000.

Under the slogan “equal pay for all”, Unite seems serious about fighting against the system of private companies out-tendering each other by under-cutting workers’ wages and conditions. Arriva North and South and East Thames and East London should also be out on the 22nd. Even at Transdev Sovereign, normally weak, there seems to have been a turn around through concerted activist work.

Drivers are fed up of the injustice and craziness of the same work being paid thousands of pounds more or less depending on the company. There is a unanimous strength of feeling on this issue. But for other drivers, in Arriva Shires for example, rotas seem the biggest issue.

Some drivers think differently on whether “equal pay for all” should apply to bendy-bus rates and different shifts.

On First buses, one of the company negotiators has “resigned” and the company is determined not to give ground to the union. “The union is intent on dragging further bus companies into strikes in pursuit of its fruitless bid to standardize conditions of working and pay in all companies,'' said Adrian Jones, managing director in London and Berkshire

Drivers have seen through the tricks management try to pull by manipulating the rotas – they can see that the companies do not give a penny without trying to claw it back at the same time. Offer after offer - that has tried to test the resolve of the union - has been rejected by drivers, who seem sure that they will go forward this time.

Many members have no idea what the plan is, or if there even is a plan. If there is a plan, it is decided above their heads and not communicated very well. Drivers are consulted (in general) to tell them what they need to do - which is important but far from what’s needed to grow a strong union that workers can trust in. Nonetheless it is impressive how well-attended, strong and committed the pickets have been in all the garages so far. There have been small levels of scabbing but the prospect of a London-wide bus strike soon is irresistible.

Previous years wouldn’t necessarily inspire confidence in drivers, but in garage after garage new, fresh reps have been elected with a new promise to fight and be accountable to members. No more partnership with the companies, which has meant reps selling themselves over to the company’s way of seeing things, becoming the company’s person in the union.

Some drivers need to stop being cynical and stop leaving the union in frustration. The drift over to the RMT is the wrong move, just at the point where union members across London are beginning to be more proactive and reps more accountable. These non-union and RMT members need to come back positively to Unite and be part of a struggle that should involve all drivers, actively making decisions and building the organization.

But things don’t change overnight, and drivers have to take the lead in breathing new life and expectations and ideas and time into the union. The progress made over the last few years is really encouraging and should be motivation enough to see that it’s worth putting energy into a strong and fighting union.

Every member should develop a voice, an understanding and a stake in the decisions of the union. Transforming the bad days of corrupt unionism on the buses involves changing the culture of power in the union. Drivers are intelligent, thinking people, with ideas, experience, education and talents. Those with time should form a strike committee, networking ordinary members across the garages and companies - to steer the union leadership through the strike and organize maximum participation in the strike. Everyone should play their part. This would be a big and exciting challenge.

The union as a whole should facilitate everyone’s participation by organizing crèches, pooling care costs etc, to hold mass member meetings and protests on strike days.

The union will shut down a huge circuit of London transport and the most working-class mode of transport. This is immense power that may also be a parting kick to this toppling system, especially if other workers join the strike, stop work, stop re-producing this system.

The RMT union activist Andy Littlechild who was a key leader of the Metronet Engineers’ strike has been suspended. This is one of several victimizations that the union has to fight. The managements of the companies on the London underground have been acting more and more provocatively and aggressively. Bus workers need to be prepared not just to strike over pay but to act immediately if drivers are victimized.

In this period of economic crisis, more and more parts of the system are revealing how they have been implicated in the gambling in the name of greed and bonuses, which has infected the whole capitalist economy. Now as their system is crumbling, they are reacting with fear as the house of cards falls down. While the rich should pay - the bankers, the lenders, the insurers, the capitalists – government finance ministries around the world have shown in whose interests they govern.

Britain has rushed to bail out the banks and bankers to the tune of 500 billion, almost as much as is spent on health, education, defense, roads, pensions, policing, prisons- and the whole public sector. Yet they have been in dispute with all the public sector workers through trying to impose a 2% pay limit!

They have created money from nothing by all sorts of swindles, which every section of the economy has relied on to extend operations and maintain growth. As oil runs out, climate disasters increase, water becomes scarce, wars rage, and the governments move to scapegoat minorities and migrants, we need to take this opportunity to stand strong.

The union needs to be outward looking, making sure cleaners are unionized and can advance their struggle using the strength of drivers. Bus and tube workers should launch a big campaign for public ownership and workers control over a well-funded FREE public transport system. Such a campaign is being built in Manchester and in Scotland as a response to congestion and pollution.

Maybe in further strike action drivers could run the service without charging passengers, hitting the companies but building solidarity with working class people who struggle to pay the rocketing fares.

Bus workers could add their strength to a growing movement wanting all public services under public ownership, including energy companies and utilities.

Many bus workers in London come from the warzones of the world, Sri Lanka, Somalia, the DRC, Afghanistan - and former colonies of this system like Jamaica and Ireland. If workers are prepared to stop London over 50p an hour, perhaps in future a strong and united union in public transport could also use working-class power in working-class solidarity. Bus drivers are not horses that pull a cart; they are people who need hospitals, care in old age, education for their children and themselves. In this period where these companies and government departments will try and cast off workers and their services, throwing people out of homes and slashing pensions, strike action should be taken on the buses and tubes for workers’ interests in general.

Mainly school children walked-out when this government started bombing Iraq. There is every possibility that they will attempt to support a war in Iran. Iranian bus workers in Tehran have been battling against the regime, scaling fences to attend banned union meetings. Their union leader, Mansoor Ossanlou, has been in and out of prison, has had his tongue sliced and has lost the sight in one eye. He is in prison now. Bus worker solidarity should be used both to support workers’ power in Iran, and against Imperialist war.

Unions need to break the anti-union laws that ban solidarity. If the rich can control the finances, we can control the wheel.

In times like this, people learn fast. Working-class solidarity and the strength is the solution. The working-class needs to quickly build organizations to educate and equip people for the period ahead.

The socialists, who are divided and a small force across the world, need to act with unity to provide assistance in terms of history, analysis, experience, politics and coordination.

Workers should now wake up and get organized. Freedom has to be fought for and won. That much is the experience of history.