London busmen lodge E5 claim
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• A claim by London's busmen for an extra £5 a week, agreed at a delegate conference in November, was formally lodged with the London Transport Executive last week. The Executive has agreed to consider the claim—which if granted in full would increase LT's wages bill by about £10m a year—and to reply promptly.
The busmen are also seeking improved working conditions, increased allowances for one-man bus operators and a reduction of 21 hours in the working week, bringing the total normal working to 37+ hours a week. Similar claims for 25 per cent wage increases made by provincial company and municipal busmen last year resulted in settlements of about 10 per cent.
After presenting the claim Mr Larry Smith, national bus officer of the TGWU, led a deputation to meet Mr John Peyton, Minister for Transport Industries, in an attempt to persuade him to cut drivers' hours to a maximum of 60 per week. Mr Smith commented afterwards that if the law compelled them to use their industrial strength to protect the travelling public they would do so. He claimed that bus drivers on the Continent were limited to 48 hours a week.
London busmen's last settlement was in April last year bringing basic rates to their current rates of £22 for drivers and £21 3s for conductors.