A six-hour strike by 130 bus drivers in western Sydney on August 28, 2009, carried out in defiance of their union, produced furious denunciations in the media and from an industrial court judge. The drivers protested against the imposition of new timetables that imposed shorter time for routes.
Drivers said the timetables would 
force them to run late and that would be the cause of inconvenience to passengers. They would also be under pressure to drive over the speed limit. Months of trade union talks with the company failed to halt the onerous new conditions. Angered by the lack of support from the Transport Workers Union (TWU), the drivers conducted their own stoppages, giving no warning to the union or management. The TWU opposed the strike and intervened to end it.
force them to run late and that would be the cause of inconvenience to passengers. They would also be under pressure to drive over the speed limit. Months of trade union talks with the company failed to halt the onerous new conditions. Angered by the lack of support from the Transport Workers Union (TWU), the drivers conducted their own stoppages, giving no warning to the union or management. The TWU opposed the strike and intervened to end it.
The mass media launched a scathing attack on drivers for halting services from the depot during the morning peak hour. Drivers called it ‘sheer hypocrisy’ saying passengers were frequently left stranded due to delays caused by the already overstretched timetables.
The Busways Group, owning these buses, is a large private operator, holding lucrative government contracts to run more than 600 buses, and employs more than 700 drivers, on 100 routes across Sydney and New South Wales Central Coast regions. Click here to read full IIPM Editorial
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