Bus drivers voting on new deal

A new pay offer could mean Wellington avoids a second bus driver strike and further commuter disruption.

Wellington’s bus drivers union Tramways has struck a deal with bus operator NZ Bus after months of negotiation and will recommend members accept a new pay offer proposed by the company.

However, some drivers are still expecting a close result when drivers vote on the deal in a secret ballot at a union meeting today.

NZ Bus and Tramways have been locked in heated negotiations for several months over the details of a new collective agreement.

The first two offers by NZ Bus were not recommended by the union and were overwhelmingly rejected by drivers. The first offer led to a 24-hour strike and a lockout by the company.

Tramways secretary Kevin O’Sullivan said he would recommend drivers take the latest offer as it was a significant improvement on previous deals.

‘‘It’s a good offer. It’s a muchimproved offer on what we previously rejected,’’ he said.

The deal would see a pay increase of 11 to 14 per cent for most drivers and retains most terms and conditions, including overtime and weekend pay rates.

The base rate would be bumped up to the living wage of $22.10, with penal rates of $30 an hour for overtime and $40 an hour on weekends.

It’s a slight decrease from the time and a half and double pay guaranteed in the existing agreement, but higher than previous offers.

Drivers will receive a $1000 bonus if the agreement is ratified, less than the $10,000 offered during the second round of negotiations.

One bus driver, who spoke to Stuff anonymously, said the vote was likely to be close.

‘‘I get the vibe that a lot of drivers are saying no, but others are saying yes. Some drivers have had enough, they don’t want to go through strike action again. If we do, it could be a week or two, and we’ll lose the support of the public,’’ the driver said.

About 200 services are expected to be cancelled today between the hours of 9am and 3pm while drivers attend the meeting. The affected routes are: 2, 3, 12, 14, 18E, 20, 21, 22, 30X, 31X, 81, 83 and 84

It comes after more than 150 Wellington buses were cancelled on Monday, many of those during the evening rush hour.

Metlink spokesperson Matthew O’Driscoll said there was a shortage of about 60 drivers in the network, an issue that had been exacerbated by winter illnesses.

The bus network operator is working on timetable redesigns to account for the reduced driver numbers.