Bus drivers to walk out over cuts
By Bill Mason
BRISBANE — Bus drivers employed by Brisbane City Council are preparing to take strike action to protest against threatened cuts to jobs, pay and conditions. The workers rallied in King George Square on November 23 to launch their campaign.
Talks between the council and the Public Transport Union over proposed "efficiency reforms" broke down on November 20. PTU assistant secretary David Matters said the collapse of negotiations had left members frustrated and angry. In a letter to supporters of the union, Matters says that the struggle revolves around the council's attempts to corporatise the bus system.
"We believe that all these attacks on the work force, the network and the ownership of the system are part of the drive towards privatisation and against the interests of both the people of Brisbane and the work force in the industry.
"As part of this drive, the council is proposing casualisation with no limitations, reductions in penalty rates and an increase in ordinary hours of work from a 38-hour week to an 80-hour fortnight." He adds that there is a push towards maximum "cost recovery" on bus services.
The union is to establish a Save Our Buses Committee to build support for continued public ownership of Brisbane's buses.