Greens question London Mayor on bus driver toilet facilities as Unite explore legal action on industrial bladder injury

 

Wembley Matters recently published a guest post by Lorraine Robertson about the difficulties faced by London bus drivers due to lack of toilet facilities on bus routes LINK.

Now Green AM Caroline Russell has put down two questions for Sadiq Khan for the September 15th session. The first relates directly to some of the issues Lorraine raised: 

A bus driver has raised with me that some bus routes still do not have adequate toilet facilities, with more than 25 per cent of routes not having a toilet at either the beginning of the route or the terminus. There are also inconsistencies in provision of toilets, where facilities are either not open during drivers working hours, toilets are not free or access to them relies on security personal or other staff to access certain buildings. This is a particularly acute issue for drivers who are menstruating, and some very distressing cases have been reported to me that have impacted the dignity of bus drivers. Will you review provision of toilets on all bus routes and make a commitment to having accessible, clean facilities that are open during all the hours drivers are working on all bus routes, to protect the health and dignity of all bus staff?

The second question is specifically about the 206 bus route that runs from Kilburn Park to The Paddocks in Wembley Park:

A constituent has raised an issue with the lack of toilet provision for drivers on the 206 bus route. While there is a toilet near the beginning of the route at Kilburn Park Station, this is not constantly accessible as it requires station staff to open it for drivers. At the route terminus (The Paddocks, Wembley Park) there are no toilets. Will Transport for London (TfL) look into urgently providing a toilet at the terminus of this route?

Meanwhile Sharon Graham, General Secretary of Unite the Union, addressing combined bus workers about their conditions said:

 It is also why we are looking to mount legal cases on industrial bladder injuries many bus drivers have faced for years due to lack of toilet facilities.

It is easy to make jokes about such matters but they are actually serious health and safety and medical issues with long-term consequences.  Many workers are on the road for hours at a time and the decline in the number of public toilets does not help.  Delivery drivers, under pressure of delivery targets,  often resort to carrying bottles to urinate in as they go about their work, easier for men than women, but not ideal for anyone.

A problem that is usually hidden so it is good to seeing it raised as a health and  safety and workers' dignity issue.

 

UPDATED: Support Unite's call for PPE for bus drivers

I spoke to two bus drivers at the nearby terminus today to express sympathy for the death of their colleagues from Covid-19 - they too are front-line workers who get other front-line workers to work. I support the call for drivers to have personal protective equipment (PPE).

Commentating on the tragic news that five London bus workers have now died of the coronavirus.  Unite regional secretary, Peter Kavanagh said:

Each of these deaths is a terrible tragedy and the thoughts of everyone at Unite goes to the families of the bus workers who have died of coronavirus.

Unite will assist the families of our members in every possible way during this terrible time.

Unite has been working continuously with Transport for London (TfL) and the operators to ensure the safety of drivers and others in the industry who are performing a heroic job in getting NHS and care workers to their places of work.

These measures include deep cleaning of buses, additional cleaning of touch points, the sealing of screens around the driver, the provision of hand sanitizer for all and placing the passenger seating closest to the driver out of bounds.

I have been in direct contact with the mayor of London who shares our view that bus drivers must be fully protected.

My officers are holding daily meetings with TfL, exploring further safety improvements and we are absolutely committed to doing everything in our power to make the driving of buses safe during this unprecedented crisis. 

We are also calling on the government to make provisions for transport workers in terms of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).

 If any driver has safety concerns, then it is imperative that they inform their employer and Unite representative immediately. The union will immediately act on all such concerns.

UPDATE:

TfL is piloting a new method of boarding buses to protect drivers. Passengers will board through the middle doors.  LINK