Bus drivers are planning to take 24 hours of strike action on the Gold Coast and Tweed, with commuters warned to expect major delays or try to find alternative arrangements.
Drivers and cleaners will walk off the job on Tuesday, January 31, protesting for better pay.
Surfside says it will prioritise school services, but hundreds of other services will end up being cancelled.
General Manager, James Saltmer, says they’re disappointed as workers were already awarded a pay rise following strike action taken last year.
“Having met twice with the TWU and independent bargaining representatives in January to progress a new enterprise agreement and financial offer we believe this action is unnecessary,” Mr Saltmer says.
“Kinetic has met twice with the TWU and independent driver representatives in January 2023 and tabled a pay increase of 12.2% over two years including an immediate 8.2% increase that will bring full-time driver rates above $30/hr,
“We also have a range of recruitment programs underway to attract new drivers including our car-to-bus licence and women-up-front training programs.”
However, the Transport and Workers Union’s Jared Abbot says the strike shows a failure of bargaining for public transport workers in Queensland
“Wages in the bus industry have fallen so far behind other industries they need a significant lift just to keep up,”
“There is a shortage of bus drivers in the industry, we need significant investment in drivers’ wages just to prevent things getting any worse,
“We need to invest in our public transport in order to ensure that we have a safe and sustainable network now and in the lead-up to the 2032 Olympics.”
The Union claims Queensland bus driver wages are at the bottom end of the scale across the country and internationally.
Surfside has encouraged passengers to find alternative transport arrangements where possible.
Delays and cancellations are expected from 12.05am Tuesday 31 January to 12.05am Wednesday 1 February.
