Auckland councillors show mayor the way on buses, but can they deliver?

Friday, 13 December 2019

NZ Bus drivers took to the streets in December 2019 as part of their strike action over working hours and pay. (Video from December 2019)

OPINION: The unanimous support of Auckland councillors for the city's bus drivers is a surprising lesson for the mayor about the power of taking a stand.

Phil Goff had publicly declined to intervene in the dispute between 800 drivers and NZ Bus, which provides 35 per cent of the city's services under contract to the council agency Auckland Transport.

After six days suspension without pay, and disruption from cancelled services, councillor Cathy Casey decided it was the politicians' business to act.

In a rare show of unity, councillors called for mayoral and executive intervention in the complex issues that lie behind the drivers' frustrations.

* Auckland bus drivers vote to continue industrial action, go without pay

* Auckland Bus strike: Goff won't get involved in four-day old disruption

* Auckland bus strike: 100 drivers suspended with no pay until Christmas Eve**

At the same time as councillors were debating on Thursday, the suspended drivers were meeting with delegates from the Tramways Union and FIRST Union.

The delegates knew from their lobbying that a majority of councillors backed them and the drivers applauded when that news was shared.

They agreed to return to work while their contract negotiations continued, buoyed by the political backing.

Now it gets tricky, because the councillors have seized one very large, feisty tiger by the tail.

The unions believe the councillors will go into bat to secure more ratepayer and taxpayer funding to tackle one of the driver's biggest issues: the split-shift system that spreads their working day across up to 14 hours, with four unpaid hours in the middle.

The councillors' unanimous resolution doesn't spell that out and not all believe that's what they've signed up for.

Goff, who agreed to second Casey's resolution – crafted with union input – can deliver his part (writing a letter) without necessarily committing the council or its agency, to anything on the funding front.

Let's focus on the split-shift problem, a long-standing practice in an industry which runs buses for a morning peak and afternoon peak, with fewer services in between.

Shortening the split will be costly. Even the introduction of legislated short rest breaks from next May will cost the council $8 million in order to maintain timetables.

A government-initiated working group with unions, councils, and the industry is looking at that and other issues, but nine months on, working hours have yet to be tackled, the unions say.

In a briefing with Goff and the Transport Minister Phil Twyford on unrelated issues, Stuff put to the minister that the answer was perhaps simple but expensive: shorten the working day and employ more drivers.

However, Twyford said that would mean paying 18,000 drivers to 'do nothing' for the four hours in between the peaks.

'It's tough logistically and practically to think of a solution, I'm not saying we can't do it, and any of the solutions are expensive. I've said to the industry I want to work on these things together.'

When Stuff asked Goff whether there was a place for an Auckland initiative in that process, the mayor said Auckland's position was that the working group overseen by Twyford was the appropriate place for progress.

Councillors have demanded something better – and the unions expect something better will be fought for by the council and Auckland Transport.

The bus drivers are back at work believing help is on the way. Auckland councillors' significant challenge will be to deliver their unanimous commitment.