Bus drivers punished for standing up against Constance’s privatisation attacks

NSW bus drivers have had their pay cut by up to $150 a week as the State Transit Authority punishes workers for standing up against Constance’s privatisation attacks.

Due to a condition in the award, drivers risk losing their Industry Allowance if they don’t follow by the rules of the Dispute Settlement Procedure (DSP).

As the strike on June 1st was not according to the DSP, workers are now paying the price for defending their own jobs.

Undertaking the necessary action to show Constance how ridiculous his plans were, our bus drivers across 12 depots in Sydney displayed their frustration by turning their Opal machines off on June 1st and giving commuters a fare free day. While Constance’s attack has begun with region 6, we know he won’t stop there. The NSW Transport Minister has proven that he cannot be trusted as only last December the NSW Government assured bus drivers that their jobs were safe for the next five years.

The plans to privatise Region 6 buses were suddenly announced by Andrew Constance in May this year without any consultation with workers, passengers or the community, and will threaten the jobs of over 1200 bus drivers.

We will continue to stand strong in our fight against bus privatisation to protect NSW drivers’ jobs and keep our buses in public hands.