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Bus workers in London will receive sick pay from the first day of being off work, under a deal announced by the Unite union.

Unite said the deal follows pressure from the union on bus operators, Transport for London (TfL), London’s Mayor Sadiq Khan and the government, for better protection for bus workers during the coronavirus outbreak.

A total of 14 London transport workers have died after contracting the virus , nine of them bus workers, said the union.

Unite said some bus workers may have felt they had to go to work when exhibiting signs of the disease because of a lack of sick pay.

The union says that the victory, securing sick pay from day one regardless of length of service, means that bus workers fearful of having contracted Covid-19 can stay at home knowing they will not be “plunged into immediate hardship”.

Unite regional officer John Murphy said: “If they fall victim to this virus, bus workers need to be able to go on sick pay from day one, to isolate themselves and to recuperate. They should not face a terrible choice between health and hardship.

“So, we are extremely relieved to have secured sick pay at full wage for all bus workers in London from day one.

“Keeping people at home when they are unwell has to be part of the effort to combat this virus.

“With this victory, we can now concentrate our efforts to make people safer at work, continuing to press for the best in PPE, including making masks and gloves available for drivers, so they feel safe in their environment, and for the sealed door trials to be abandoned and sealed doors rolled out immediately across the capital’s buses.”