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Sunday 10 June 2012

London bus staff drive on towards Olympic strike - The Guardian

London bus staff drive on towards Olympic strike - The Guardian

London bus workers are preparing to announce strike dates this week as they step up their dispute over a £500 Olympic bonus.

Thousands of bus workers at the Unite trade union have voted by a majority of more than 90% for industrial action and have warned that walkouts could take place during the Games. Unite also accused the capital's transport authority of "hypocrisy" after claiming that seven Transport for London bosses could share a £560,000 bonus payment if performance targets including a trouble-free Olympics are met.

Peter Kavanagh, Unite's regional secretary for London, said: "This is barefaced hypocrisy of the highest order. TfL chiefs on six-figure salaries are in line to earn Olympic bonuses worth 160 times more than bus workers are asking for."

TfL said the claims were "spurious and inaccurate" because the bonus scheme, which equates to a payment of £80,000 for each senior director, is not based solely on performance over the Olympics and is part of the directors' contracts.

"It is disappointing that Unite continues to push for strike action, attempting to exploit the Games spirit and add a further multimillion-pound burden to the hard-pressed fare and taxpayers of London," said Leon Daniels, TfL's director of surface transport.

Under the terms of the 1992 Trade Union Act, Unite is unable to announce strike dates during the Olympics immediately. It must take industrial action within 28 days of the strike ballot being announced, which sets a deadline of the first week of July. If drivers take industrial action before that point, they are then allowed to stretch their strike mandate into the Games between 27 July and 12 August.

Unite's strike threat is further complicated by the fact that bus operators claim they are unable to pay a bonus. The 21 bus companies that operate in London are paid a set fee by TfL and are adamant that any extra staff payment must be underwritten by the mayor's transport authority. TfL's Daniels again indicated that the organisation will not underwrite a deal. "As has always been clear, bus drivers are employed by private companies and their pay and conditions are a matter for those private companies," he said.

TfL said a £500 bonus payment equated to a "bill of £12m for no additional work".

However, Unite argues that the 20,000 bus workers it represents are entitled to a bonus after payments of £850 were secured for tube staff. Staff at Network Rail, the DLR, the London Overground line and Virgin Trains have all agreed bonuses of between £500 and £900 each.

Unite has given bus operators until the start of this week to respond to its demand. If there is no response, it is preparing to announce strike dates by the middle of the week. The conciliation service, Acas, has not been involved so far.


Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Chillaxing in London, late summer bookings and shiny new hotels in the capital - The Guardian

Take me there

If at any point this summer you start to feel a bit stressed, we strongly advise you to get down to the Royal Geographical Society in London and plant yourself in front of this scene for a few minutes. Think of it as your own personal aquarium and let it carry you away to a river in the wetlands of Brazil. The hyperreal photograph of piraputanga fish in the crystal-clear waters of the Sucuri River in the Pantanal region was taken by Franco Banfi and is part of the Travel Photographer of the Year exhibition, which runs from 22 June-19 August (tpoty.com). It is open Mon-Fri 9.30am-5pm; Sat, Sun 10am-5pm. Entry is free (rgs.org)

Travel clinic: UK holidays

The dilemma We haven't booked a  family holiday yet and are wondering what to do. Is the UK a no-go zone in July and August, with no-vacancy signs in every window? Jane, Hounslow

"It's busy in London on your dates, so you may wish to try different dates" is the message that flashes up on booking.com during a search for London hotels in August, together with eye-watering prices, so perhaps steer clear of the capital. Any British city with international appeal is busy in peak summer season, but there are still options. The four-star boutique Bocardo in Oxford (thebocardo.co.uk) has doubles from £120. Elsewhere in the UK there's plenty of availability, as the wait-and-see approach to booking remains popular. Sites such as cottages4you.co.uk still have plenty of properties, such as Dell Cottage in Far Sawrey near Windermere (sleeps four; £579 for seven nights). That said, as ever, the good places go first, so if you have your heart set on somewhere special, don't hang around. The Hayloft at Calgary Farmhouse on the Isle of Mull (calgary.co.uk), slap bang on Calgary Bay, sleeps eight and is available in August for £1,075. Tom Hall

Three of the best: new central London hotels

In the run-up to the Olympics, new hotels will be opening in London – many charging Olympic-sized rates. We wanted to show you that not everywhere in the capital is looking to bleed you dry

CitizenM, Bankside Affordable luxury – online check-in, mood pads, free Wi-Fi and films – in a prime location, from £99 to £199 during the Olympics (citizenM.com)

Tune Hotel, Paddington/ King's Cross The Malaysian-based budget chain launches a hotel in Paddington on 25 June from £50 and King's Cross on 9 July from £40 (tunehotels.com/uk)

Z Hotel, Victoria A converted Victorian townhouse with small designer rooms, from £75 as of 1 July. Free Sky and Wi-Fi, plus iDock (thezhotels.com/victoria)


Source: www.guardian.co.uk

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