South Australian drivers have agreed to a company offer after six months of strike action
Bus drivers in South Australia have finally agreed to a workplace agreement after over six months of strike action against operator SouthLink.
Employees have been negotiating their new workplace agreements for months, and have finally agreed to an offer after an unofficial mediation with the State Attorney-General.
The SouthLink drivers had rejected previous offers from the company, but voted in favour of the latest offer last week.
Transport Workers Union South Australia/Northern Territory Secretary Ray Wyatt says the agreement is the end of the ongoing dispute.
“There can be no further industrial action.”
Wyatt says although there haven’t been major changes to the agreement, the new agreement does build on beneficial conditions in the previous agreement.
He also says the union was able to include some clauses – such as pay for public holidays on rostered days off – in the new agreement which is what the TWU had been hoping for.
“I think what we have is an agreement everybody can live with.”
The State Government welcomes the decision.
Industrial Relations Minister John Rau congratulats both parties on this resolution.
“This was a matter between the union and the bus company. The State Government was not a party to the issue,” he says.
“However, last month given the possible escalation of the dispute I decided to bring both partied together with the view to reconciliation of differences.
“I am pleased that today we have seen the Union formally accept the offer.”