Monday morning commuters in NSW have been told to prepare for delays as bus drivers prepare to go on strike.
Transport Workers Union and Rail, Tram, and Bus Union drivers will walk off the job for 24 hours, starting a minute after midnight on Monday, to demand fair pay and better working conditions.
The disruption is likely to impact many of Sydney’s bus routes.
Areas outside of Sydney that will be affected include the Hunter Region, Lake Macquarie, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and Queanbeyan.
Transport for NSW have urged commuters to plan ahead, keep track of announcements and to use other travel alternatives if possible.
The department said the affected lines would run on a reduced timetable.
Event buses that have been introducxjmtzywed to bring people to and from Sydney‘s Easter Show will still run, Transport for NSW said.
The department also said drivers will be allowed to use the T2 and T3 transit lanes, without risking a fine, while the strike was ongoing.
The union decried the government‘s moves to privatise bus services and said they would demand of Transport Minister David Elliott to “take on their share of the responsibility for implementing a set of Industry standards that ensure a safer and fairer bus industry”.
“David Elliott is continuing to avoid his responsibility for the health and safety of bus drivers and their passengers,“ TWU state secretary Richard Olsen said.
“Drivers are driving buses owned by the NSW government, the bus routes and the bus stops are set by the NSW government, yet the government through the minister claims no responsibility for safety and the conditions of the workers who operate the buses.”
The unions demanded breaks and reasonable timetables for drivers, 12-hour maximum shifts and a minimum of 10 hours between workdays, better training and equal pay for drivers doing the same job.
Mr Elliott said earlier in the week the unions’ demands were not a matter for the government.
“Ongoing negotiations over pay and conditions is a matter between bus drivers and the private operators,” he said last Wednesday.
“The NSW government cannot intervene in the negotiating of enterprise agreements between private operators and their workers.”
Mr Elliott also said he was disappointed the strike would happen during school holidays and accused the unions of trying to “exploit the state‘s transport network for Labor’s political gain”.
Sydney routes that will be running reduced services:
- Liverpool, Fairfield, Parramatta, (Transit Systems)
- Hills District (CDC)
- Inner West, Some Sydney CBD, Olympic Park, Strathfield, Rockdale (Transit Systems)
- Cronulla, Engadine, Sutherland, Menai (Transdev)
- Hornsby, Gordon, Berowra (Transdev)
- Lidcombe, Granville, Bankstown, Liverpool (Transdev)
- Outer Metro
Routes in the rest of the state that will be running reduced services:
- Newcastle (CDC Hunter)
- Hunter Valley (CDC Hunter)
- Tuggerah and Wyong (Coastal Liner)
- Blue Mountains (Blue Mountains Transit)
