In the wake of the horrific burning to death of Brisbane bus driver Manmeet Sharma on October 28, the Rail Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) held a national day of respect on November 9 to highlight the issue of driver safety across Australia.
In a statement RTBU national president Phil Altieri said: “It was an honour to join sisters and brothers from across the union movement today in honouring Manmeet Sharma (Alisher).
“Apart from paying our respects to Manmeet for this horrific tragedy, the RTBU and TWU [Transport Workers Union] have called on PTV and the state government to launch a campaign aimed at the travelling public to treat all public transport workers with respect.
“No one deserves to be spat on, assaulted or killed at work.
"The tears that have been shed need to turn into anger and that anger needs to turn into rage, and our collective rage is what’s going to deliver a safer workplace for our members. We all need to jump on board to make sure we do the right thing for our public transport workers."
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