Bus unions patch up split over pay

The four unions involved in the long-running Auckland bus drivers pay dispute have patched up their differences and agreed to go back into negotiations as a united force.

Splits within the unions, which make up the Auckland Combined Bus Unions, emerged after their members last week rejected a new employment agreement offered by New Zealand Bus, owned by Infratil.

They went against their negotiators' recommendation to accept the offer, which includes a pay increase from $16.75 to $18.75 an hour over three years.

The Northern Distribution Union, which represents about 30 of the drivers and cleaners, subsequently voted to withdraw from the combined unions and approach NZ Bus to accept the deal.

The Tramways Union, which represents more than 600 of the employees, described the Distribution Union's move as "appalling protocol" and yesterday the four unions met to discuss their split.

Tramways Union president Gary Froggatt said they had agreed to continue acting together.

"We've reconvened the Combined Bus Unions for the purpose of reaching an agreement with Infratil," Mr Froggatt said.

"We are requesting the mediator to work between the parties."

He said the disagreements had been "unfortunate", but the mood of the meeting yesterday had been "okay".

"They explained their position and we laid down our situation and it was agreed that we should reconvene the Combined Bus Unions group."

At a ratification meeting last Wednesday, 55 per cent of union members voted against the company's offer.

A 60 per cent vote in favour was needed for the offer to be accepted.

The union negotiators had recommended the bus drivers accept NZ Bus' previous offer.

Mr Froggatt said the main sticking point for the drivers who rejected the NZ Bus offer was not the pay offer - "even though there's a lot of unhappiness about the money and the term of the agreement" - but changes the company wanted to make to two clauses in the collective agreement.

One was the incapacity clause, which gives the employer the right to review and possibly terminate employment for long-term sickness at three months. NZ Bus wanted the period cut to two months.

The second was a disciplinary clause, under which a public complaint has to be given to the driver within 48 hours of receipt.

The company wanted to extend that to 96 hours because of what Mr Froggatt called "some problems with its internal processes".

Mr Froggatt said he could not say what drivers would do if the company came back with its current offer minus the two amended clauses.

But if a proposal along those lines had been put to last week's meeting "I think the outcome would have been entirely different".

Mr Froggatt said it was unlikely there would be face-to-face talks between unions and NZ Bus in the immediate future while the unions tried to go through the mediator.

NZ Bus and the unions, which represent most of the bus drivers and cleaners in the Auckland region, have been in negotiations since May.

The impasse in the talks led to widespread disruption to services for several days last month when NZ Bus locked out the drivers.

- NZPA