Transdev bus drivers to vote on strike leaving Manningham commuters possibly facing chaos
THOUSANDS of bus passengers across Melbourne face being left stranded if drivers vote next week to walk off the job amid a bitter pay spat.
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THOUSANDS of bus passengers across Melbourne face being left stranded if drivers vote next week to walk off the job in a bitter pay spat.
Bus services could grind to a halt after drivers vote on whether to go on strike, following a breakdown in award negotiations between operator Transdev and the Transport Workers’ Union.
The Fair Work Commission has approved the ballot with results expected by July 24.
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A strike will hit suburbs without tram or train services particularly hard.
TWU Victorian/Tasmanian branch secretary John Berger said the union would “respect the outcome of the ballot process”.
A driver, who didn’t want to be named, told the Leader the mood among the workforce was grim.
He said drivers were fed-up with buses being used as train replacement services.
“Morale is still low and not improving, and buses are still being sent to rail,” he said.
But Transdev operations and customer experience general manager George Konstantopoulos said talks were being “conducted in a co-operative and positive manner”.
“We are negotiating (with the TWU) in good faith, and are working hard towards an agreement that is acceptable to all parties and avoids potential disruption to our customers and the community,” he said.
It follows industrial action last week which saw operator CDC’s services cancelled.
Bus services in Ballarat, Geelong and up to 49 metropolitan bus routes across Melbourne’s west, inner east and southeast were affected.
The Leader reported in March that demand for rail replacement services had forced Transdev to take vehicles off scheduled runs on its Doncaster route.
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