Report: One Week 'Fare Strike' From Monday

[Buzz Killington]

104.7 reported this evening that instead of strike action, drivers will next week refuse to take fares on ACTION buses.

This from ABC News:

ACTION management is directly appealing to Canberra bus drivers not to proceed with industrial action over pay negotiations.

Management and staff of Canberra's bus service are locked in negotiations over a new enterprise bargaining agreement.

The main sticking points include plans for more part-time drivers and weekend rosters.

[Buzz Killington]

This was posted on RiotACT, and was attributed to an unnamed bus driver:

Dearest Rads,
    From monday 24th of may ACTION bus drivers in canberra are launching a 7 day fare strike.  We are being asked to accept a raft of changes that include a payrise lower than inflation (a pay cut).

    A complicated set of changes to our part time to fulltime ratio that mean drivers will be precariously employed for longer and be exposed to highly variable hours from 4 to 10 hours week to week to budget around.  And that we be forced to work weekend shifts without penalty.

    The latest network we are operating sees the average service run for 90 mintutes with an average turnaround time at 5 minutes.

    Thats five minutes to unload, secure the bus, use the bathroom, check for lost property, pull up on platform load passengers and depart for another 90 minute run.  When you put a human into this
    formula you have unsafe and undignified work practices, national driving guidelines require 10 minutes break from the wheel every two hours for safety, especially important for us who carry precious cargo.  Dignity requires drivers be allowed to use the toilet, time pressures on drivers have resulted in many drivers soiling themselves on the job, mostly unreported for obvious reasons.

    Our demands are modest but our resolve is not.  We demand that our annual pay rise remain at 4% over the next three years. That ACTION make our shifts conform to national driving standards, a 10 minute break every 2 hours of driving.  Finally that our hard fought conditions of employ are carried over unaltered.

    At moments when workers strike politics become very simple.  You can suck the bosses scaly iguana on the sidelines by doing nothing, you can act the spineless scumbag scab or act in solidarity with your fellow workers.  I call a WSN meeting in canberra at the phoenix pub at 1pm on sunday the day before we kick our strike off.

    Proposed and will be organised prior are a petition and a contact list for a protest action in support of our campaign for members to ride on buses to collect names and details of passengers throughout the 7 days.  Availability in peak mornings are desirable to join a driver on shift, please feel free to contact me during the week through this channel if your keen or have questions, suggestions.  Which side are you on? A working class hero is something to be.

    Warmest Solidarity,

    DAN SMASH

    PS.  If you aren't a canberra resident or are housebound please send hatemail/abuse in support of the strikers to the following places.

    – the chief minister jon stanhope
    Phone: (02) 6205 0104
    Fax: (02) 6205 0433
    Email:stanhope@act.gov.au

    – Territory and Municipal Services (TAMS)
    Postal Address         
    GPO Box 158
    Canberra ACT 2601
    Online Contact link from
     http://www.tams.act.gov.au/functions/contact_us
    Contact Numbers
    Phone (24hrs)   13 22 81 (ACT and NSW residents only)
    Phone (24hrs)   (02) 6207 5111 (For callers outside NSW/ACT)
    Phone (TTY)     (02) 6207 0494
    Phone (TIS)     13 14 50

    – ACTION buses
    By email:
    action@act.gov.au
    By telephone:
    Call 13 17 10 or (02) 6207 7611 outside the ACT.
    Hours of Operation:
    7am to 8pm Monday to Friday
    8am to 8pm Saturday
    9am to 5pm Sunday and Public Holidays
    9am to 1pm Christmas Day
    By Post:
    GPO Box 158
    Canberra City ACT 2601
    Australia

    PPS.  please forward to anyone worth a squirt of piss.

[belcodriver]

Yet more confirmation that RiotACT is populated by a bunch of retarded small-minded Tory fucktards.

[Snorzac]

LOL!

[Buzz Killington]

For those who are interested, here's the thread over there: http://the-riotact.com/?p=21654

[Barry Drive]

From The Canberra Times online:

Buses to be free as drivers impose ban
BY NINO BUCCI
19 May, 2010 08:41 AM
Canberra bus services will be free for a week after ACTION drivers decided to impose a fare collection ban from Monday.

The Transport Workers Union-backed industrial action could cost ACTION almost $500,000.

Bus drivers decided to fight against changes proposed by ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope which they believe will drastically reduce conditions.

ACTION and its workers are currently locked in enterprise bargaining agreement negotiations.

Transport Workers Union Canberra sub-branch secretary Klaus Pinkas said, ''It is unfortunate that it has come to this,'' he said.

'' But we have been negotiating for five months now and ACTION still insist on reducing the conditions of their drivers.

''The drivers feel that a ban on the collection of fares will cause the least disruption to the public but will still get the message across to the Chief Minister. We will not wear any reduction in conditions.''

[Buzz Killington]

Looks like the car is staying in the garage next week!

[Bus 400]

A report in today's Canberra Times states that the ACT Government may give drivers that participate in this industrial action a pay cut to recover the costs in lost fares. I can see that going down real well with the TWU.

[Barry Drive]

Strap yourselves in - this could turn ugly.

[p_stampy]

Oh, my first driver this morning said that the free rides may not happen - but will know by this arvo?

Edit: this lead to the bus being late because the old duck asked him that, then crapped on about how she doesn't know weather to validate her weekly ticket.

[Barry Drive]

Don't put those car keys away yet: the fare collection ban is 'on hold'. Fares will be collected as normal Monday morning.

[Bus 400]

ACTION has released some information to give the Canberra community some information on what is happening.

The information can be found at http://www.action.act.gov.au/enterprisebargaining.html


Since the ACT Government wasn't going to let the  ACTION drivers take industrial action without affecting the ACT public (by giving striking drivers a 67% pay cut to recoup costs), I expect a strike to be announced quite soon.

[p_stampy]

WTF

So a driver/ACTION worker (MyWay) says it looks like it'll be as usual on Monday........ and Bus 400, who talks a lot, expects a strike.

[Bus 400]

The strike won't be announced for a while yet.

........ and Bus 400, who talks a lot,

:TODDLOL:

[Barry Drive]

WTF

So a driver/ACTION worker (MyWay) says it looks like it'll be as usual on Monday........ and Bus 400, who talks a lot, expects a strike.

There is no contradiction there. I chose my words carefully. It will be business as usual on Monday morning. Anything beyond that I can't say as it will depend on the outcome of the FWA hearing. Any other industrial action (including stoppages, strikes or bans) must be notified at least 5 days in advance.

Will ACTION workers be disadvantaged by the new agreement?
No. None of the proposed changes are motivated by an intention to reduce pay, hours or jobs. ACTION workers will continue to have some of the best working conditions and be among the best paid bus drivers in the country.

That's a new meaning of the word 'No'. It's true that ACTION do not intend to reduce pay, hours or jobs. But introducing rostered (i.e. forced) weekend work will disadvantage workers. As will reducing the ability for part-time drivers to go full-time.

[p_stampy]

There is no contradiction there. I chose my words carefully. It will be business as usual on Monday morning. Anything beyond that I can't say as it will depend on the outcome of the FWA hearing. Any other industrial action (including stoppages, strikes or bans) must be notified at least 5 days in advance.

Ahh

Thanks for the clarification.

[split]

That's a new meaning of the word 'No'. It's true that ACTION do not intend to reduce pay, hours or jobs. But introducing rostered (i.e. forced) weekend work will disadvantage workers. As will reducing the ability for part-time drivers to go full-time.

Yep, that statement on the ACTION website just proves how underhanded and untrustworthy the ACTION management and therefore the ACT Government is.  OF COURSE ACTION DRIVERS WILL BE DISADVANTAGED BY THE PROPOSED NEW AGREEMENT.

[Bus 400]

There was another article in today's Canberra Times






As well as some Government propaganda:

Mostly what can already be found on the ACTION website

[belcodriver]

The govt ad is so full of shit I don't know where to start.

"Increased opportunities for part-time staff", so having to wait several more years on top of the current 3-4 to become full-time is an increased opportunity? I suppose it is an increased opportunity to constantly chase overtime and work every weekend but not accrue leave and super on many of those hours worked.

"Not reduce pay, hours or jobs", if there's no change in total driver numbers increasing the proportion of part-timers is arguably a reduction in jobs and hours. A below inflation pay offer is unequivocally a reduction in pay. A similar offer has been overwhelmingly rejected by ACT public servants: http://www.cpsu.org.au/agency/news/17823.html

[Bus 400]

An article in today's Canberra Times has more on the article, which makes it clearer to me why ACTION want more part time drivers. As while full time drivers are guaranteed 30-40 hours a week, ACTION has to pay superannuation & leave to that amount. Part time drivers are only guaranteed 20-30 hours & again that is all ACTION has to pay super & leave to that amount. So while part time drivers may actually work an extra 20+ hours a week, they'll won't be earning any super or leave on that overtime. Thus ACTION save money in the long term.

[Buzz Killington]

Also making a deal of the fact that new drivers are paid $59k which is more than some doctors blah blah etc

[belcodriver]

$59K/Yr = 38hrs/wk which a newly qualified driver is not guaranteed. All they are guaranteed is 20hrs/wk less most public holidays. So a fair comparison would require that the doctors/firies/etc wages include nearly the same amount of overtime.

Of course as with the earlier beatups about the accident rate - totally without context - and dead-running tim - totally not the fault of the drivers - the Canberra Times is utterly indifferent to fairness. Instead they are happy to regurgitate the bullshit "leaked" to them by the arseholes who work for Stanhope. Much easier than doing any actual journalism.

[Bus 400]

Today's Canberra Times mentioned that the decision by that Fair Work mob on the fare strike won't be known until at least Friday.

[Barry Drive]

And we all know by now how accurate The Canberra Times is.

[Barry Drive]

Whispers are getting louder that something is happening next week. More details when it's officially announced.