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Source: ONE News -
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Buses in Auckland are back on the road on Thursday morning, but the dispute is not yet over.
Hundreds of unionised drivers and cleaners have voted on a revised pay offer after NZ Bus locked out staff in response to a work-to-rule notice.
Although the workers rejected the offer, they agreed to suspend their work-to-rule industrial action on the condition NZ Bus lifted its lockout while mediators continue to try to resolve the dispute over pay and conditions.
Karl Andersen, Combined unions spokesman, says some progress has been made through the Employment Relations Authority's recommendation for settling the dispute but there is still a long way to go. The recommendation is confidential at this stage.
NZ Bus had offered pay rises totalling $1.80 an hour in three instalments, while the union wanted the same amount in two stages plus a higher overtime rate.
Rabin Rabindran, chairman of the Auckland Regional Transport Authority, says the disruption has had a huge impact on the campaign to encourage the use of public transport. He says the authority will have to work hard again, to get people out of their cars and on to buses.
The week-long standoff affected over 80,000 Auckland commuters.
