I support the bus drivers.
October 8th, 2009 by Brad HeapThe Herald is reporting that the Bus Drivers lock out in Auckland could last days:
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10601944
The lockout followed the drivers issuing the company with a work-to-rule notice.
It is important to note that the Bus Drivers are not on strike, they have been locked out because they gave a work to rule notice which is perfectly legal.
“The drivers have given the unions instruction that we are not to withdraw the work to rule notice unless there is a settlement.”
He said that meant the ball was in the company’s court.
“They will find it very hard to get the drivers back to work now that they have locked them out.”
Yup pretty good way to piss off all your workers, playing hardball is not a good approach in industrial relations.
He also accused the unions of having no interest in resolving the issue responsibly.
He said it could be resolved very simply by the unions lifting their notice of strike action.
Mr Froggatt said the drivers were not on strike as a notice of a work to rule was not strike action.
NZ Bus are clearly in the wrong here. Work to rule would see the buses still running.
Auckland Regional Council said yesterday it may impose a financial penalty on NZ Bus for withdrawing services.
Auckland Regional Council chairman Mike Lee said the approximate figure of $150,000 should not be paid to the company today.
“This is equivalent to a boss’s strike. When workers go on strike, they don’t get paid and neither should NZ Bus when it deliberately locks out workers and therefore the travelling public,” Mr Lee said.
Perfect way to put it. It is the boss’s who have created the “strike” not the employees so good response from the regional council.
