Thousands of commuters in Auckland will have their ride home from work disrupted this evening as a third of the city’s buses remain out of action due to a heated industrial dispute.
Drivers working for NZ Bus are asking for more pay and better working conditions, and the buses they drive are out of action until the dispute is settled.
First Union has been in negotiations all day, after an eleventh-hour meeting last night failed to reach a resolution.
Matthew Hubble was among hundreds of Auckland bus drivers marching up Queen Street to Aotea Square today.
“It’s bad timing. Even though I’m financially stable, I’m concerned for everyone else here because it’s near Christmas and they can’t afford to feed their families especially on a primary income that’s not paid enough. It’s not fair,” he said.
He is among 800 NZ Bus drivers suspended from work last week after giving passengers free rides and rejecting a two percent pay increase.
Many earn $22 an hour or less, work long shifts, and say they find it hard to pay their bills.
Mr Hubble said he had decided to be a bus driver after he was assaulted at a bus stop but a bus driver leapt out of his bus to help.
“I came to be a bus driver because a bus driver saved my life five years ago. That’s one of the many reasons why I became one because they’re people who will be there. Regardless what’s happening I’ll always drive with a smile.”
Auckland bus disruption: What you need to know
Fellow bus driver Newton Gonsalves took his 18-month-old daughter on the march.
“It’s very hard to keep up with the bills so that’s why I think we need a little bit more. We’re not asking for a big piece of the pie, just a small slice,” Mr Gonsalves said.
“I think Auckland Transport should take some interest in this. I blame Auckland Transport because they’re the ones who issue the contracts.”
People who rely on public transport to get to work have voiced their support for the bus drivers on social media.
Auckland Transport arranged substitute buses on two busy routes today, through another bus company Ritchies.
The agency said it did not directly employ bus drivers and was not directly involved in the negotiations between NZ Bus and the unions.
“As part of separate discussions Auckland Transport is proactively discussing with unions improving bus driver rest and meal breaks, work times and general conditions under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with bus operators, other councils, Ministry of Transport (MOT) and Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE).”
First Union assistant general secretary Louisa Jones marched with the bus drivers.
“Bus drivers live week to week, these are not great rates – the drivers are on about $22 an hour, they work 12-hour shifts with long breaks in the middle that are unpaid breaks. No one can afford to be without their wages, particularly not drivers before Christmas,” Ms Jones said.
She said the buck stopped with Auckland Transport because bus companies had to compete for contracts and the lowest price wins.
Until the industrial dispute is settled, all bus services operated by NZ Bus will not be running.
While the bus service disruption continues, Auckland Transport is keeping commuters updated on the affected routes via its website and social media.
Source - rnz
