We'll turn up for work on Wednesday - bus drivers

About 80,000 Auckland bus passengers may find their travel plans disrupted on Wednesday. Photo / The Aucklander

More than a thousand Auckland bus workers who face being locked out in a row over 10 cents an hour say they will report for work as usual on Wednesday morning.

Infratil-owned NZ Bus has told the workers, including 875 drivers, that they will be barred from 4am on Wednesday - a move likely to plunge Auckland's public transport system into chaos.

The lock-out will affect staff at the Metrolink, Go West, Waka Pacific, North Star, Link and city circuit bus services.

Drivers' spokesman and National Distribution Union secretary Karl Andersen said that the workers wanted the dispute settled without disruption to tens of thousands of Auckland commuters, and were dismayed that the company was taking such a hard line and locking them out.

He said they had already cut their pay claim from $1 an hour to 70 cents an hour, while the company had increased its starting offer by just 7 cents an hour over a three-year period.

"We've been trying to renegotiate the collective agreement since early June," he said.

"We've made substantial concessions in what we're claiming, and now there's only 10 cents an hour between our position and theirs.

"Now, when we say we're going to take some very minor industrial action, they say they're going to lock these workers out," he added.

Last week the workers gave notice of a work-to-rule, which meant they would be "sticking to the manual" and not doing anything extra, like skipping breaks when buses are running late.

They also said they would not be sending the computer information that informs passengers waiting at stops where the bus is, and would not do the last run of the shift if they were running late.

"It was nothing that would have affected the safe operation of the buses, but the company is using it as an excuse to take a hard line and lock the workers out, which will affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of Aucklanders who use the buses," Mr Andersen said.

The drivers earn between $14.05 and $16.75 an hour.

Many worked split-shifts, which meant they had to spend up to four unpaid hours a day waiting for the next part of their shift to start.

Some of the drivers were away from home up to 15 hours, yet were paid for just eight or nine hours. They got an allowance of just $4.12 for these broken shifts.

Mr Andersen said that Infratil, which owned NZ Bus, could well afford to pay the 70 cents an hour the workers were seeking.

Infratil's operating revenue was up 28 per cent, and public transport use in Auckland was at a 25-year high.

NZ Bus said that passenger numbers in Auckland were up 6.9 per cent in the year to July.

The parties have agreed to return to mediation tomorrow morning.

The workers are members of the Akarana Public Drivers' Association, the Auckland Tramways Union, the National Distribution Union and the Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union.

Meanwhile, nzherald.co.nz readers have been emailing in their personal problems about how they will get to work and pick up children after school.

One reader jokingly says he will be hiring a horse to get to work if Wednesday's bus stoppage goes ahead.

Steve Mascarenhas said he will hire a horse to get to work on time because it is environmentally friendly.

He said he was angry that the public are encouraged to use public transport by local politicians and are then interrupted by strikes.

Another reader, Sherryn, said she will have to use up some annual leave because she has no other way of getting to work.

"This is not on... once again the bus companies are holding the public to ransom," she said.

Another reader has said the bus drivers are taking out their anger on the public.

"There's nothing wrong with a pay rise expectation - but these large bus operators say they are offering 9.9 per cent for a 3 year period. When most of us non-bus-drivers are getting zero increases on our pay, these bus drivers should be grateful," David Pomeroy said.

- NZPA, NZHERALD STAFF