Strike action by Arriva North London bus drivers has been suspended ahead of a consultative ballot, but some drivers have told London Bus Forums News they are unhappy with the proposed agreement and the decision to pause further walkouts.
Arriva North London bus strikes have been suspended ahead of a consultative ballot on a package of measures aimed at resolving the dispute over working conditions.
Drivers at eight Arriva garages had been due to continue industrial action on Wednesday and Thursday, but the walkouts have been paused following talks between Arriva London and Unite the Union.
A ballot of Unite members is expected to take place on Friday 21 August.
In an employee notice issued by Arriva London managing director Wasim Mohammed, drivers were told that Unite had agreed to suspend further strike action while the ballot takes place.
Unite says members will decide
Unite said strikes involving more than 1,500 Arriva North London drivers had been postponed following negotiations with the company.
The union said action due to take place from Wednesday until early Friday had been suspended to allow members to be balloted on a new deal covering working conditions.
Unite regional officer Steven Stockwell said:
“Following talks, Arriva has made an offer to Unite members. To allow our members to have their say on whether to accept this, we have postponed strike action so they can be balloted.”
Unite added that if members reject the offer, strike action will resume on Tuesday 25 August.
Arriva’s employee notice, however, states that Unite is “recommending that members accept this agreement”.
However, we understand that some drivers and union representatives dispute the suggestion that Unite agreed during talks to recommend acceptance of the package.
Drivers who have spoken to us have also criticised the decision to suspend strike action before members have voted on the proposals.
Some said they believed the offer should have been rejected during negotiations rather than put to drivers in a ballot.
Others questioned why strike action scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday was suspended after only two of the 26 planned strike days had taken place.
One driver told London Bus Forums News that members should have been allowed to continue with the planned industrial action until they had decided whether the proposed agreement was acceptable.
The dispute, involving more than 1,500 Arriva drivers across north London and parts of Essex, has centred on working conditions, including concerns about extreme temperatures inside driver cabs and non-functioning air conditioning.
ITV News London has also reported on drivers working in cabs reaching around 40°C during this summer’s heat.
What has Arriva proposed?
The employee notice says the package agreed following talks includes:
- Suitable and sufficient air conditioning fitted or repaired on every bus ahead of summer 2027, driven by the TfL extreme weather taskforce.
- Robust ongoing audits of heating and aircon, with a monthly stand-down day for garage reps to inspect vehicles.
- A review of our hot/cold bus policy starting on 26th August.
- Sustained improvement in controller/driver relations, measured by driver feedback.
- A clear, accessible way for drivers to report issues via Tracerit, with reminders issued on Blink and in garages.
- A list of TfL locations where staff can use facilities, showing where air conditioning is available.
- Guidance issued on how the heating and cooling controls work on each bus type.
- Quarterly Unite/Arriva working groups reinstated, covering hot/cold buses, controller-driver relations, and premises.
The company also thanked drivers for their “patience and professionalism” during what it described as a difficult six weeks of extreme heat.
Drivers to have final say
The proposed agreement has not yet been accepted by drivers.
Members are expected to be consulted in Friday’s ballot, with the final decision resting with those taking part.
We understand there is dissatisfaction among some drivers over both the offer and the suspension of strike action before the ballot.
There is also disagreement over whether Unite had formally agreed during negotiations to recommend that members accept the package.
We have asked Unite to clarify whether it is formally recommending acceptance of the agreement across all eight affected garages.
The next question, for me, is how the effectiveness of those controls will be demonstrated.