Auckland Bus Unions Explain What Work To Rule Means

Following the announcement of industrial action, the Auckland bus unions have told us what their  “working to rule” from Thursday morning means.

The Auckland Combined Unions has delivered notice of industrial action from this Thursday.

The Auckland Combined Unions represent the bus drivers and cleaners who work for Metrolink, North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific, LINK and City Circuit bus services.

From 4.30am on Thursday morning. all members of the combined union:

• Will not sign on to commence a shift of work earlier than required.

• Will not adhere to the media communication policy as it is prescribed in the NZ Bus Operator reference handbook dated March 2008 and will speak to the media without specific authority of the board of directors.

• Will not drive any bus which is without a working radio telephone.

• Will not drive any bus which is without a current certificate of fitness or a current road user certificate.

• Will not drive any bus which has a safety defect the driver is aware of. Book up any safety defect and demand a replacement bus)

• Will not work call forwards and call backs as defined in the Combined Unions Collective agreement 2007-2009, unless rostered 72 hours prior.

• Will, at the commencement of their shift, carry out full pre shift bus checks as described on the defect card supplied with each bus.

• Will spend 5 minutes at the end of every timetabled trip carrying out full terminal duties including lost property checks, using toilet facilities if required by the driver or service person operator, performing stretching exercises and preparing the bus for the return journey.

• Will, if there are no toilet facilities available at any terminal at the time a driver or service person operator requires them, then he or she will comply with the policy as it is prescribed in the NZ Bus Operator Reference Handbook March 2008 at clause 9.12

• Will keep to all lawful speed limits.

The combined bus unions say NZ Bus/Infratil is deliberately trying to confuse the public in an attempt to disguise a very poor pay offer.

Spokesperson Karl Andersen says the NDU recently settled agreements with two other major Auckland bus companies without any drama at all.

“The total income for drivers at these companies is much better than NZ Bus/Infratil is offering but there were no threats of lockout or need for third party intervention.
NZ Bus/Infratil seems to want to pick the worst aspects of a number of agreements and put them together to keep their drivers wages down. It is time for NZ Bus/Infratil to start listening to what its workforce is telling it instead of trying to create diversions. Around 900 drivers endorsed the unions’ claims.

They wanted to send a clear message that they have to work long hours for pay that is not enough to live on.Accusations that the unions have chosen industrial action over facilitation is a further attempt to disguise what the dispute is really about.
They know as well as we do that whether we go to facilitation depends entirely on the Employment Relations Authority.  They will make a ruling on whether there should be facilitation and we will comply with that ruling.”

The NZ Bus view is in an earlier post.