Living Wages and better rosters for Bus Drivers

Living Wages and better rosters for Bus Drivers as result of Tripartite forum

The establishment of a Tripartite forum including councils, bus operators and unions to resolve issues around the implementation of paid rest breaks will also deal with longstanding issues around pay and hours of work for drivers.

It was announced today that an MOU had been agreed between Government, unions and bus operators to oversee the implementation of paid rest breaks over the next 12 months and temporary measures taken to avoid disruption to bus services. The MOU also includes the establishment of a tripartite forum tasked with reviewing the Worktime and Logbooks Rule and achieving a living wage as a minimum standard.

The Transport Minister, Phil Twyford, has further committed in a letter to the unions to achieve the Living Wage as a minimum standard for all public transport bus drivers in New Zealand. Mr Twyford has addressed the urgency of some particular regions in a letter to unions in the transport sector stating, “I will also commit to support any opportunities in the interim that are achievable within my current powers.”

FIRST Union spokesperson, Jared Abbott, says the commitment to the living wage was a bottom line for FIRST Union. “We have been campaigning for over two years now for the living wage to be a minimum standard for bus drivers through our Bus Fair campaign. This development is extremely positive news for drivers not already receiving living wages and key to attracting more drivers into the industry.”

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