The President of the Council of Trade Unions supports Wellington bus drivers who have voted today to reject their employers offer.
“NZ Bus thought it could get drivers to agree to a buy out of their terms and conditions through a lump sum payment. What they didn’t understand is that these working people will not undercut future generations of bus drivers and they have shown how strong their principles are by rejecting this offer,” CTU President Richard Wagstaff said.
“NZ Bus needs to reconsider its rejection of the Wellington Regional Council’s offer to fund a wage adjustment to living wage rates, and pass this on to drivers. We need to attract and retain drivers with good conditions of work.”
“NZ Bus have shown themselves to be out of touch with the needs of running a proper public transport system. It can’t be done while trying to strip it for profit. Drivers themselves have shown they want no part of that strategy. ”
“A good employer would be listening to the issues that the drivers are raising and working with them to resolve them. Instead, this employer is, on the same day that the drivers are voting on an offer, talking about starving the drivers out by publicly talking about locking out the drivers.”
“Wellingtonians won’t stand for this behaviour toward their bus drivers. We know how loyal the people of Wellington are to the bus drivers, when the company locked the drivers out last month thousands of people stood up to support the drivers,” Wagstaff said.