’Load of crap’: Angry bus drivers demand NSW government take responsibility for work conditions

NSW bus drivers planning to strike next week say they are unable to take fatigue breaks or even go to the toilet as they hit out at the state government.

A 24-hour walkout will affect bus services across most of greater Sydney next Monday as workers demand fair pay and better working conditions.

The two major transport unions behind the action – the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) NSW – addressed a press conference on Wednesday to explain the motivation behind next week’s strike action

Workers from three privately owned companies will walk off the job in protest of a two-tier pay system in which some drivers earn substantially less than others working in the same depot and driving the same routes.

The state government began privatising bus routes in Sydney in 2020.

“I heard today that it’s not their (the government’s) problem, that it’s the private companies’ problem. Well, let me just tell you that’s a load of crap,” TWU assistant state secretary Mick Pieri said.

“They (the government) are the ones that hold the purse strings.”

TWU state secretary Richard Olsen said bus drivers were also striking to protect passengers and their own safety at work.

Mr Olsen said the government had not provided adequate training or conditions to manage fatigue or reduced the level of violence against bus drivers.

Bus drivers feel let down by the government. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

They are fighting for better pay and conditions. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

“Bus drivers cannot find toilets or adequate places to have a proper fatigue break away from their buses. Drivers are expected to ‘hold on’ because toilet facilities are either closed or non-existent,” Mr Olsen said.

“I’ve been with the union now for 20 years and I’m still fighting for toilets in the bus industry,” Mr Pieri said.

“A lot of our drivers got spat on because we were also the people making sure they were wearing masks.”

RTBU tram and bus division secretary David Babineau blamed the drivers’ plight on privatisation.

“Our guys are effectively being rostered out of a job. The new employees are doing 13-hour shifts and some guys go five hours without being able to go to the toilet,” he said.

RTBU NSW bus division secretary David Babineau and TWU NSW assistant branch secretary Mick Pieri want a better deal for bus drivers. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Christian Gilles

Sydney bus drivers will stop work for 24 hours on Monday. Picture: NCA NewsWire / Jeremy Piper

Bus driver Greg Tsolakis said he was often required to go hours without a break, which “puts passengers at risk because this is fatigue”.

“(Bus operator) Transit Systems came up with the idea to create two separate work groups as a way to save money,” Mr Babineau said of drivers being paid according to old and new awards.

The RBTU said demands made on behalf of drivers in February were ignored by the state government.

The strike comes just a week after the RTBU came to an agreement with Transport Minister David Elliot to “set aside” threats of industrial in exchange for fare-free public transport over the Easter holidays.

It will affect services in the Sutherland Shire, the Hawkesbury area, western Sydney and the Blue Mountains as well as regional areas in Newcastle, the Hunter, Central Coast, Wollongong and the Illawarra.

A Transport for NSW spokesman confirmed that while bus services would be impacted, the health and safety of customers and bus drivers was their top priority.

“We understand this is a frustrating situation for our customers, and we are doing what we can to reduce disruption during this time,” they said.