Brixton 'drunks shift'
Page 33
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
bus ban MAY STOP ALL LONDON'S SATURDAY NIGHT SERVICES industrial correrpooloX
• A move will be made to get all 30,000 London Transport busmen to ban late-night Saturday shift working when the Transport and General Workers Union LT Central Bus Conference meets on December 10.
This follows the decision of 400 Brixton busmen on Tuesday to continue their ban on working "the drunks-shift" in protest against the lack of protection from attack by passengers.
Last week-end, 33 buses on 11 routes in South London were off the road between 9 p.m. and midnight. The drivers and conductors refused to work because of attacks and abuse by drunks and rowdies.
Discussion of the move was deferred at the delegate conference on November 19. But union officials are now predicting "a rash of bans" against late-night working.
Bus officials of the union are expected to discuss the position with London Transport. It has become so bad that the Saturday night buses are now known as "blood wagons" among their crews.
Frightened busmen are calling for a "black list" of trouble-making passengers to be displayed on all London public transport. They want details to be posted of people who have been in court for offences on buses—their names, ages, addresses and sentences.
This call for "positive action" comes from the Brixton garage, worst hit in recent Saturday night incidents. The busmen say that such a list would be an embarrassment to the offenders and might cool them down a bit.
Six other South London garages are backing the call for the ban to be made official by the union.