Bus chaos looms amid pay talks

MICHAEL BRADLEY/Fairfax Media

DISRUPTION: West Auckland and North Shore bus services will be affected.

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West Auckland and North Shore bus passengers will be stranded today as union talks over pay issues continue.

Several Go West services were due to stop between 9am and midday for a meeting between NZ Bus and the Auckland Tramways and FIRST unions.

And about 100 North Star buses are expected to strike from midday to 2pm.

The affected Go West services include Tanekaha, Titirangi, Henderson Hopper, Sturges Rd, Glen Eden and Glendene.

School buses will continue to run. .

NZ Bus fleet general manager Darek Koper said the company worked hard to minimise disruption to commuters.

It's hoped a resolution will be reached following a full day of mediation on Tuesday, Auckland Transport Union president Gary Froggart said.

Buses will continue to run on Tuesday.

Froggart said an agreement was near but NZ Bus needed to consider a longer-term agreement.

''The main sticking point is payment for overtime for working on drivers' days off,'' he said.

Several Auckland NZ Bus drivers only receive time and a quarter payment for working a rostered day off, Froggart said. The rest of its Auckland and Wellington employees receive time and a half.

The strike follows a string of unsuccessful negotiations over a new collective agreement, dating back to 2009 when 80,000 commuters were affected by a week-long lock-out.

Up to 900 bus drivers stopped work to meet last month, and more than 36,000 Auckland commuters were stranded in July.

Drivers rejected previous offers by NZ Bus of a 2.3 per cent wage increase, followed by another 2.3 per cent increase a year later.

- © Fairfax NZ News