Bus drivers to stop work over stalled EBA talks

As a feud over pay and work conditions continues, Metro chief warns of significant disruptions ahead when drivers will walk off the job on Friday. Here’s the details.

Metro Tasmania CEO Katie Cooper. Picture: Chris Kidd

Metro services will be “significantly disrupted” by stop work action on Friday, the public transport operator says.

Bus drivers will walk off the job for two hours on Friday between 11.30am and 1.30pm — but is it expected to affect services throughout the day.

The union says Metro’s current offer amounts to a pay freeze and will do nothing to address the driver shortage with has led to service cuts.

Metro CEO Katie Cooper urged customers to make other plans in the event their service is affected.

“We expect that that will have significant disruption to the network, and we’re encouraging our customers to find alternative means of transport or to try and adjust their travel when they can.

Metro CEO Katie Cooper speaks to the media at Glenorchy on Thursday, November 7, 2024.

“Metro has put in significant planning to try and minimise that disruption, and we are prioritising the protection of school services.

“We will be communicating to customers via our website and Facebook, via our customer helpline on 13 22 01 and obviously also we’ll have physical signs up in the main interchanges for the buses across Hobart.”

Metro paid drivers a 10 per cent out-of-cycle rise last year and is offering three per cent increases in the second and third year of any new agreement.

The company has been affected by shortages of drivers, leading to service cutbacks.

Among the claims at issue in negotiations are a union request for critical incident leave for drivers affected by behaviour such as rock throwing.

Ms Cooper said such leave was not offered by any bus operator in the company.

Police on Thursday announced that a 14-year-old youth will be proceeded against for allegedly damaging four Metro buses in Bridgewater on the October 17 and 18.

Minister for Transport, Eric Abetz urged further talks.

“We urge all parties to continue to negotiate in good faith to deliver a new agreement that is fair, reasonable and affordable,” he said.

“The Tasmanian Government is supporting Metro’s recruitment and retention efforts with more than $14 million being invested over the next four years.

“This is in addition to the significant $8.4m package we funded last year to increase driver wages, introduce safety measures and support rostering and timetabling improvements.

“For Labor to argue against a sensible wages policy is the height of hypocrisy, given the last Labor Premier wrote to GBEs asking them to exercise ‘public sector wage restraint’.”

Initial: Bus drivers will walk off the job for two hours on Friday in Hobart, bringing services to a halt.

Rail, Tram and Bus Union Tasmania Secretary Byron Cubit said Southern Tasmanian bus drivers would stop work for two hours between 11.30am and 1.30pm.

The union says Metro’s current offer amounts to a pay freeze and will do nothing to address the driver shortage with has led to service cuts.

Work bans started last month, but there has been no progress in talks.

“Southern Tasmanian bus drivers will use this work stoppage as an opportunity to get together for a short meeting on the enterprise bargaining negotiations, and to discuss their next steps,” Mr Cubit said.

Metro buses in Hobart. Picture: Mathew Sharp

“Services in the northern and north west will not be affected by the work stoppage, but will be continue to be affected by a range of other statewide protected industrial actions.”

Mr Cubit said the state government needed to step in toe force Metro to negotiate an outcome in the dispute.

“Drivers do not want this dispute to drag into the busy Christmas period, but that seems to be where we’re heading.

“While billions are being poured into fixing the state government’s infrastructure bungles and sponsoring political vanity projects, essential services like public transport are suffering.

“New Treasurer Guy Barnett needs to step up and provide Metro with the funding it needs to finalise a new enterprise agreement with drivers, stabilise its workforce, and provide Tasmanians with the bus services the desperately need.

“The State Government must ensure that Metro Tasmania is properly resourced, and Metro staff have competitive wages and conditions.”

Independent member for Franklin David O’Byrne has been a staunch advocate for improved public transport. He said it was disappointing that negotiations had broken down.

“It must be devastating for those people who had hoped Metro were listening to the needs of the community and saw that they needed to attract bus operators to work for them,” he said.

“We’ve seen a whole range of initiatives and all of those are completely undone by the fact they’ve forced their workforce of take industrial action for a fair outcome.

“How do you attract bus operators when they’re going on strike because they’re feeling undervalued?

“This is yet another government owned business behaving badly.”

Comment was sought from Metro.

Minister for Transport, Eric Abetz urged further talks.

“We urge all parties to continue to negotiate in good faith to deliver a new agreement that is fair, reasonable and affordable,” he said.