Bus driver members of the Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) held a stop-work for four hours on August 24 for improved conditions and COVID-19 safety measures,聽including a call for compulsory masks for passengers. The drivers had said they would strike for 48 hours.
Their action was targeted at State Transit Authority聽bus聽region 7 (north western suburbs), region 8 (northern beaches) and region 9 (eastern suburbs), because they are under threat from the New South Wales government鈥檚 push to franchise them to private operators.
RTBU bus division secretary David Babineau said the initial reason for taking action was drivers鈥 lack of safety.聽鈥淢onths after the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic, we still don鈥檛 have adequate measures needed to keep our聽bus聽drivers, transport staff, the travelling public and the wider community safe,鈥 he said.
The union said that hundreds of聽buses聽were off the streets while members participated in a stop work meeting with the government. 鈥淭ogether we won crucial concessions in the fight against privatising regions 7, 8 and 9. We protected our rights at work, won a review of health regulations and secured robust community consultations for the public, whose support has been invaluable and unwavering.鈥
It said the battle to bring the government to the table on聽bus聽privatisation was 鈥渓ong and hard-fought 鈥 but our members stood together in unity鈥.
The Transport Action Network, a community group backed by the RTBU, said the government had now been forced to 鈥渃ommit to robust community consultation on the privatisation of our聽buses聽in regions 7, 8 and 9鈥. It added that, privatisation is 鈥渘ot cheaper for the public and only reduces the quality of our services.
鈥淭his fight isn鈥檛 over. With consultations locked in, we can force the government to come clean about probable聽changes to聽bus聽stops, routes and services under a private operator,鈥 it said.
The campaign against the further privatisation of Sydney buses will be difficult. The government maintains it has not backed away from further privatisations. This means that the union and the community will need to escalate the 鈥淜eep Our Buses Public鈥 campaign to force the government to end its plans to privatise buses.
[For more information on the Save Our Buses campaign, visit .]