Auckland bus drivers settle strikes with three-year pay deal

Wednesday, 16 September 2020

It is a lonely ride for bus drivers circling the city with empty buses during lockdown.

Hundreds of Auckland bus drivers have secured a three-year pay deal, ending long-running negotiations that included strikes in late 2019 and earlier this year.

About 800 members of the Tramways Union working for NZ Bus in Auckland are getting four pay rises backdated to November and extending until April 22.

Union president Gary Froggatt said the steps are increases of 2.1 per cent, 2.4 per cent from April 2020, and then 3.26 per cent and 3.16 per cent in the coming two years.

“It is the only bus company agreement retaining overtime rates of 1.25 times the ordinary rate, and 1.5 times when a sixth day is worked,” he said.

Bus patronage was hit hard during Auckland’s two Covid-19 lockdowns. (File photo)

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“By settling this new pay deal it provides both our drivers and NZ Bus the stability to get on with providing Aucklanders with an excellent public transport service,” Barry Hinkley, NZ Bus’ chief executive, said.

Drivers covered by the agreement will get $23 an hour rising to $24.50 by the end of the term, but it won’t apply to more than 1600 drivers working for other companies in Auckland.

Froggatt said the other union, covering drivers at up to seven other companies in Auckland, would be trying to get their agreed rates in line with the NZ Bus deal.

Drivers had had higher hopes, but those were dampened by the financial impact of Covid-19, he said.

An upside of the Covid-19-related downturn and the new agreement was the effect on recruitment.

”Already we’ve got queues of applicants knocking on NZ Bus’ door – and we have got three airline pilots driving,” Froggatt said.

The agreement does not deal with the unresolved issue of drivers’ long working days, with a multi-party working group, including the government, looking at possibly shortening the 14-hour span to 12 hours.

New tea and meal breaks agreed earlier this year are expected to be fully implemented by January 2021, when new Auckland bus timetables are issued.