Over 100 bus drivers in the Waikato region had to take strike action today in order to meet to discuss the wage negotiations. Their employer, Go Bus, denied the drivers time away from work to meet regarding facilitated negotiations in Auckland despite the union giving plenty of notice and offering to work with the company to ensure work was covered.

The meeting was held off peak hours to try and minimise disruption to bus timetables.

FIRST Union’s Transport Logistics and Manufacting Secretary said that the company are behaving like bullies and misleading the public about the cause for disruption.

“This meeting could have been held with little to no impact but the company have gone out of their way to be disruptive in an attempt to frame the workers in bad light to the public. Any other company would have simply worked with us to arrange cover so the meeting could be held. Instead the company tried to leverage the meeting to bully the members into accepting a low wage increase. They told us they would only arrange for the meeting to go ahead if the members accepted their wage offer. It is appalling behaviour.

The drivers took strike action for the fourth time last week as the Employment Relations Authority was brought in to assist talks. The relationship between Go Bus and its drivers has only deteriorated as talks have been stalled several times since bargaining began over a year ago, hence the necessity of the ERA. FIRST Union is very concerned about the wellbeing of bus drivers who either work for far too long (typical of cities), or do not have enough hours (typical of regions) and on depressive pay rates.

First Union's Transport and Logistics organiser Jax Oldham says the drivers feel they have no other option as Go Bus refuses to allow drivers time off the road to be informed on the progress of the talks.

“Drivers who are not at the facilitated negotiations need to know what’s going on and Go Bus has unreasonably refused to release workers to a meeting that would update them on the progress of talks. So they’ve decided to strike and hold their own meeting.”

Ms Oldham says there desperately needs to be a Fair Pay Agreement for bus drivers to ensure they can live a healthy life.

“An FPA across all bus drivers nationwide isn’t a bad idea; it would improve the lives of thousands of families across New Zealand.”

ENDS

© Scoop Media