IT is, of course, the right of every worker to withhold their labour - that is enshrined in law and is one of the basic building blocks on which the long and illustrious heritage of industrial relations in this country is built.

However, it is hard to see how the planned two-day strike by bus drivers in Bradford next week will not cause chaos for thousands of ordinary people who rely on the buses for work, shopping, leisure and a host of other reasons.

Naturally, the idea of a strike is to cause maximum disruption and send a message to management that the workforce is not happy - in this case, it is over the transfer of a bus service between depots in Bradford and Halifax with, say the unions, the loss of eight jobs.

But those who will be affected most sharply by the strike - the passengers - have no part in the dispute and will doubtless be wondering come Monday why they have been caught up in it at all.

Of course, there are wider issues here, which do affect bus users - the unions say that the number of drivers has fallen drastically in the last four years, and that while they accept the strike will inconvenience users, they are fighting for the maintenance of good services.

If the unions and management have the best interests of the passengers at heart, they should all do their utmost to get round the table again before the weekend and at least try to thrash out a deal - or at least a cessation of hostilities - that can keep the buses running next week.