BY DUNCAN MEERDING

HOBART — On December 3, the Australian Rail, Tram and Bus Industry Union said 24-hour strikes by Metro bus drivers in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie will take place in the week of December 8-14, after nine months of negotiations failed to secure a 12% pay rise over two years.

Raul Baonza, the union's bus and tram division assistant national secretary, said the bus drivers were angry that they had constantly met efficiency targets to stave off the threat of privatisation of the state-owned service, but had never been adequately rewarded. Drivers had never had an enterprise agreement and the only pay rise they had received in the past two years was for 3% under safety net adjustments.

Metro drivers' earnings were as little as $27,000 a year, less than half their interstate metropolitan counterparts. Metro drivers had even given evidence as “working poor” before the industrial relations commission.

The bus drivers have not taken strike action in Tasmania since 1981, indicating how frustrated the 300 union members were with Metro's pay increase offer of just 6%.

From Green Left Weekly, December 10, 2003.
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