It was the day when they turned out in their droves and voted to increase industrial action in support of their wage claim.

The decision was was taken by busmen at a mass meeting at the Nuffield Theatre which took busses off the road for two and a half hours on August 10, 1979.

The action meant there would be a possible withdrawal of labour, spot checks on buses, individual action by engineers at critical times and no cooperation with management.

A spokesman for the busmen’s union at the time said they aimed for a “minimum loss of earnings for maximum effect” and that the men were angry at the slow speed of talks with the city council.

They had been told to wait until the full council meeting in October of that year to see if their wage demands were granted.

“We intend to step up our action to show the council we mean business,” said the spokesman.