Some disputes where sustained action was taken, or threatened, have led to significant concessions. The first one was Scottish local government workers, who by selective action forced four successive increases in the offer, from 2% to over 10% for the lowest-paid. Now Arriva bus drivers in north and east London have called off an indefinite strike planned from 4 October and accepted an 11 per cent pay increase.
Arriva drivers in Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire, and Hertfordshire also called off strikes and accepted a deal worth between 10 and 11 per cent. Although the pay increases remain below inflation, they are a significant uplift on Arriva’s initial offers of 4-6 per cent.
The strike in north and east London was suspended on 28 September, with nearly a week still to go until the strike. Unite officials described the suspension as a “gesture of goodwill.” It would surely have been possible for Unite to organise an electronic vote of members on whether to accept the offer in that week, and suspend action only if and when the offer was accepted. Nevertheless, the significant increase shows the power that even a threat of indefinite or sustained strikes can have.
Unite bus drivers at London United/ RATP, which operates routes in west and southwest London, have also settled their dispute, accepting a 10 per cent increase. Workers struck four times to improve an initial offer of 3.6 per cent.
Arriva drivers in Kent remain in dispute, striking on 30 September and planning further strikes on 6-7 and 10-11 October.