Another bus lockout

Over the past year we've seen major bus problems in Hamilton and Wellington, as drivers have sought better wages and an end to the bullshit of split shifts, which basicly see them "married to the job". And now its Auckland's turn. When NZBus's drivers planned low-level strike action of not collecting fares, NZBus locked them out and cancelled all services:

Thousands of commuters in Auckland will have their ride home from work disrupted this evening as a third of the city's buses remain out of action due to a heated industrial dispute.

Drivers working for NZ Bus are asking for more pay and better working conditions, and the buses they drive are out of action until the dispute is settled.

Its the latest example of the problems with the contracting model, which sees bus companies making lowball bids, then gouging the profit out of their workers - and then simply refusing to perform the contract when the workers fight back. Contracting out undermines both pay and conditions, and the reliability of the service. As for the solution, its obvious: bring bus services back under the direct control of councils, to remove the incentives to lowball and gouge.

Meanwhile, if you'd like to donate to the union's strike fund, details are below:

Those wanting to contribute to the NZ Bus drivers who have been locked out of work, you may have seen two different account numbers floating around the twitter-sphere. Our STRIKE FUND account is: 02 0192 0491501 00, please use "NZBUS" as the reference! Thank you. #BUSFAIR

— FIRST Union (@FIRST_Union) December 9, 2019