UNION ACTION TO IMPACT OTOROHANGA SCHOOL CHILDREN AND THEIR WHĀNAU

Go Bus is alerting the parents, caregivers and whānau of students who rely on school bus services in Otorohanga that none of its school bus routes will operate tomorrow morning, Tuesday 8 May, except for the Specialised School Transport Assistance (SESTA) services.

The general school bus services in Otorohanga are to be hit by industrial action by First Union. The services will operate normally in the afternoon.

Commenting on the strike, Nigel Piper, Chief Operating Officer of Go Bus, says First Union has given the company notice of strike action today relating to services in Otorohanga and Te Awamutu.

‘While we are managing to provide cover for the bus services in Te Awamutu, this is not possible in Otorohanga except for the Specialised School Transport Assistance (SESTA) services, which will continue as normal.

“We are very disappointed at the way this industrial action will affect those people who rely on us the most, and for whom we seek to provide high-quality services.

“As if the short notice of the strike is not enough, we have no idea of the reason. We have had no formal response from the Union to our latest offer and it comes hot on the heels of a generous pay increase well above inflation in March. It seems to be part of the Union’s wider, politically motivated campaign.

“As we have outlined to our drivers and the Union, we have very limited flexibility to provide increases beyond the level of inflation under the terms of our contracts with Government and in such circumstances, striking is extremely unproductive.”

Mr Piper says he strongly believes that such strikes are no way to deal with an industry-wide issue, as they show a complete disregard for the interests of passengers. “We apologise to our passengers for the inconvenience this action may cause.”

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