Legal claims by 53 drivers alleging they have not been paid meal allowances after they were transferred from Arriva London North to Go-Ahead have been dismissed.
The claims were brought at Watford Employment Tribunal against Go-Ahead subsidiaries London General Transport Services and Blue Triangle Buses.
The drivers made their claims as unauthorised deductions from wages, based on the non-payment of meal allowances.
The claims were made last year following months of controversy and several hearings. The tribunal decided to make a decision at a later date.
Now, tribunal Judge Bedeau has announced that the drivers have lost their claims
Vicki Brown, one of the drivers, had put the claims on behalf of herself and 52 other drivers.
Mrs Brown did not give evidence herself but some of the other drivers told the hearing about the arrangements while working for Arriva.
A letter was also produced by the drivers at the tribunal from Unite Regional Officer John Murphy saying that, on the point of the drivers being transferred from Arriva, they were entitled to a minimum of a 40-minute break which would be supplemented by a cash payment of £3.95 for each duty where a driver was scheduled to take a break away from the garage.
The tribunal was told that some drivers were paid meal allowances on Arriva routes. while others were not.
Meal allowances had been paid on routes to Ilford Town Centre, Wood Green and Beacon Tree Heath. No meal allowances were paid at the Edmonton Garage or at Walthamstow.
The drivers said they had expected meal allowances to be paid following transfers to their new companies.
Go-Ahead opposed the claims, contending that entitlement to a meal allowance was only triggered where the meal relief was scheduled at a place where there was no agreed or recognised facility.
Judge Bedeau said the issues he had to deal with, concerned the drivers of all bus routes that were the subject of the claims at the time of the transfers from Arriva.
Following a lengthy consideration the judge announced that the claims for had not been well founded, and were therefore dismissed.
