Nearly two years ago the bus service for half of Wellington was bought by an Australian private equity firm Next Capital.
A year later wage negotiations between Next Capital and the 280 people who drive and maintain buses for them broke down. Right now the Collective Employment Agreement has expired.
The Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC) stepped in to offer a top up to Next Capital to bring bus drivers up to a living wage.
Instead Next Capital has told the GWRC they don’t want the money and are pressing ahead with plans to cut drivers' conditions and take home pay.
Driver’s and their families are already struggling with low pay, long hours, and unsafe conditions.
Tell the founding partners of Next to take the extra GWRC funding and offer a fair deal to Wellington Bus Drivers.
To Next Capital Founding Partners, Sandy Lockhart, Patrick Elliott, and John White:
The people of Wellington are sick of their bus service being run down.
Your latest attempt to reduce drivers’ pay and conditions is unacceptable. Wellington’s bus service has been damaged enough without these further attacks on the very people who are keeping it going.
We urge you to:
Take the additional funding the Regional Council is offering.
Take your proposed cuts to conditions and take home pay off the table
Give the drivers a decent pay rise
If you can’t manage that, then surrender the contract to someone who can.
The people who drive our buses deserve better. And the people of Wellington deserve a better public transport service.
