Bus workers should be treated better than cattle!

It is already a hot summer, and it has only just begun. Luckily for Britain’s livestock there are rules to protect them in hot weather. The same can’t be said for workers and passengers on our buses. And knowing this, the bus operators have cut costs by letting the air conditioning systems rot and break.

UNITE has promised to defend members who take a break “if you feel that you are suffering any adverse affects due to the heat”. Drivers should not be pressured to carry on to the point of collapse and then forced to tell angry overheated passengers to get off and wait for the next bus. This is a set-up for accidents, heat stroke and assault. Already there are some calls to take things a step further, demanding better fans, ventilation, sun blinds in the cab, etc. This is all necessary, but it is not nearly enough. The safety and health of our drivers and passengers are worth more than the profits of bus operators.

The current laws show that the government thinks our lives are cheap. The Labour Party, to whom our union tops bow, is too busy debating how much to cut benefits so that when you become too sick to work you can starve to death. To protect ourselves we must make refusing a bus without working AC the policy of the entire union. Not a single bus should leave the garage without working AC! For the safety of our cleaners and engineers, as well as for drivers’ breaks, there should be working AC in all lunchrooms and canteens. Organise to press your union rep to make UNITE refuse unsafe buses and unsafe work!