Auckland bus drivers threaten further industrial action

Tuesday, 11 February 2020

Auckland bus drivers from NZ Bus voted on Tuesday to proceed with a new round of industrial action.

Auckland bus drivers have voted to take industrial action against NZ Bus if last minute talks fail.

Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said 86 per cent of union members rejected the current offer from NZ Bus.

Late last year, NZ Bus offered the drivers a pay rise of 43 cents an hour which would have taken their hourly rate to $22.50.

'We will be seeking a meeting with the company next week to continue negotiations, but from there it might lead to further industrial action, but we won't know until we've talked to them,' Froggatt said.

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Auckland commuters could be affected by the ongoing industrial dispute between NZ Bus and its drivers.

'Striking is always the last resort.'

Froggatt said the unions would meet with Auckland Transport (AT) on Friday to discuss the dispute and to further a resolution passed by the council last year.

Drivers weren't getting enough rest and their 14-hour shifts were too long, Froggatt said

Drivers often had up to four hours of unpaid downtime between shifts and the contracting model used by Auckland Transport meant the companies were often unwilling to cover pay rises for the drivers, he said.

NZ Bus chief commercial officer Scott Thorne said he wanted to find a solution to the dispute.

'We are obviously disappointed with today's outcome. But what we would like to do is sit down with the unions and find a solution that works for all the parties.'

He said the Government's review of the Public Transport Operating Model (PTOM) would hopefully address many of the issues at the heart of the Auckland dispute.

However, he said the outcome of that could be sometime away.

NZ Bus announced late last year that its services on some of Auckland's busiest routes would be cancelled from December 7 as a result of the ongoing strike action.

Many of the company's drivers had been refusing to collect fares and NZ Bus said drivers who continued to participate in the strike would be suspended.

The unions called off the industrial action on December 12 after Auckland Council asked Auckland Transport to help resolve the dispute.

The group headed back to negotiations in January, but NZ Bus has so far refused to improve its offer.

As a result the Tramways Union and First Union held a series of stop work meetings with their members which finished on Tuesday to decide their next course of action.