NZ Bus, Coalition of Four Unions in talks

“The decision of the Employment Relations Authority to provide facilitation is a welcome one.” says Zane Fulljames, GM Operations NZ Bus.

A hearing was held at 10am this morning at the Employment Relations Authority with members of NZ Bus and members of the four unions that make up the Auckland Combined Unions in attendance.

The Auckland Combined Unions is made up of a coalition of four Unions. The Tramways Unions is the largest with 616 members, followed by the Akarana Bus Drivers Association with 228 members, the National Distribution Union has 30 members and EPMU has 1.

The purpose of the hearing was to determine if there was a case for facilitation to occur. Facilitation is a process which will provide assistance in order to reach an agreement between the two parties in the pay dispute which has been conducted over a period of five months and resulted in industrial action.

The decision of the Employment Relations Authority at 2pm today was to grant facilitation.

Bus services provided by Metrolink, North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific, LINK and City Circuit are today suspended in response to the notice of strike action provided by the Auckland Combined Unions on Sunday evening October 4th.

“We ask the Unions to lift their notice of strike action, “says Zane Fulljames GM Operations. “This means their members can return to work and Auckland commuters can go about their daily travel with certainty.”

“Our offer remains on the table at this time,”says Zane Fulljames. “We stand by our offer; it is a genuine one that is both competitive and substantial in this economy. Our offer sits at 4.2% 3.0% and 3.3%, a total of 10.5% over three years.”

The latest national trends for the period July-Sept 09 were released on Friday October 2 indicating companies have settled collectives during this period ranging from 0%-2.5% for the first term. The median percentage wage increase for the first term is 2%.

“Given one of the Unions has already accepted the wage offer at other bus companies, we can only assume that the four Unions are having difficulty agreeing amongst themselves,” says Fulljames.

“Our services will remain suspended until such time as the notice of industrial action is withdrawn. This is not a decision we take lightly.”

Regular customers who use weekly or monthly passes will not be financially disadvantaged by the industrial action. They are encouraged to go online and register their card on http://http://www.gorider.co.nz so the process for reimbursement can be communicated directly over the next few days.

“We understand the widespread impact this is having on the wider Auckland community and apologise sincerely to our customers for the disruption” says Fulljames.

Additional information

Since May NZ Bus have been negotiating with the Combined Unions, which represent drivers and cleaners on our Metrolink, North Star, GO WEST, Waka Pacific, LINK or City Circuit bus services. The Auckland Combined Unions is made up of a coalition of four Unions.

NZ Bus have tabled a series of improved offers over that time. Our initial offer was for an increase of 9.5% over three years. This later increased to 9.9% and then to 10.4%.

On 28 September a reshaped and improved offer was put on the table. This was a 4.2% increase in the first year, 3.0% increase in the second year and 3.3% increase in the third and final year – a total increase of 10.5% over 3 years.

The offer was also reshaped to give the staff access to more of the increase sooner than in previous offers.

All of our offers have been rejected.
The latest national trends for the period July-Sept 09 were released on Friday October 2 indicating companies have settled collectives during this period ranging from 0%-2.5% for the first term. The median percentage wage increase for the first term is 2%.

The average wage of a driver who has worked for the company for over nine months is approximately $41,634 ($800 p.w)and would equate to $46,000pa($884 p.w) with the improved offer after three years.

Ninety percent of drivers have worked for the company for longer than 9 months and are paid at the top rate.

ENDS

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