Bus Services to Resume Thursday 15 Oct

Notice of strike action and lockout mutually suspended.

The Auckland Combined Unions met with a number of their members this morning at 11am at Alexandra Park to discuss the recommendations made by the Employment Relations Authority in order to resolve the industrial dispute.

The four unions that make up the Auckland Combined Unions represent the approximately 900 bus drivers and cleaners who work for Metrolink, North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific, LINK and City Circuit bus services.

This morning at 10am the Employment Relations Authority made their recommendation to resolve the industrial impasse between the Auckland Combined Unions and NZ Bus. The Employment Relations Authority is the specialist body established to adjudicate and rule on employment matters. The details of the ERA recommendation are private to the parties involved in the process.

“Please let me restate - NZ Bus will honour the ERA’s recommendation,” says Zane Fulljames GM Operations. “We have always maintained that facilitation, rather than industrial action, was the responsible way to resolve the situation and we stand by that.”

As a gesture of goodwill in order to get buses back on the road, yesterday NZ Bus offered to lift the lock-out notice and resume all normal services, with effect from 4:00am tomorrow, Thursday October 15th. This was on the proviso that by 1:30pm today the unions also lifted their strike notice.

“This afternoon the Unions have contacted us and as a result both parties have mutually suspended industrial action so that buses can be back on the road from tomorrow,”says Zane Fulljames.

“We are delighted that from tomorrow our people can return,” Fulljames continues. “We apologise sincerely for what I know has been a tremendous inconvenience for our customers and Auckland commuters. We look forward to the full resumption of services from tomorrow.”

“Moving forward, it is positive that both parties have agreed to return to facilitation led by the Employment Relations Authority tomorrow, “Fulljames concludes.

ENDS

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