Region 7

On Friday, March 10th, we met with Busways for a full day of bargaining. We spent the day going through the RTBU response to each clause and got through about one-third of the draft EA.

We know there will be big issues like the length of broken shifts, pay rises and lesser conditions for new workers that we won’t agree on. But, before we get to fighting over those and other items, we’ll go through and get the things that only require minor haggling or deeper explanations sorted and locked in.

The next bargaining meeting is scheduled for Thursday, March 23rd, and we’ll continue the work described above.

When it comes to taking action, one of the best things we can do is turn off the Opal machines. This is the most damaging action to the company, which is obligated by their contract to pass on this data. Many of their KPI targets are also measured using this data.

Turning off the machines would cost workers a 1.5% pay reduction for the day and give the public free transport. Unlike taking strike action, which while attention-grabbing, costs workers more money. An action like this only works if all workers are on board, and only Union members can take protected industrial action.