Bus strike threat continues

Thousands of Auckland bus users could still be disrupted by strike action if a meeting between unions and NZ Bus does not end in an agreement.

Unions will meet with the bus company again today after yesterday's meeting was adjourned.

National Distribution Union spokesman Karl Andersen said "we ran out of time".

He said the meeting today would start at 10am.

"The only progress we made was to meet again, which in these circumstances is a big achievement," Mr Andersen said.

The two sides began a fresh round of talks following a delegates meeting on Sunday.

The unions rejected a pay rise offer of 10.4 per cent over three years by NZ Bus on Friday with almost 98 per cent of drivers and cleaners voting against the offer.

The offer would have seen drivers with nine months experience on $16.75 an hour - which covers 90 per cent of the drivers - receive an 11 per cent increase over three years. Drivers with less experience were to receive a slightly higher pay rise of up to 13 per cent.

The offer narrowly averted chaos for Auckland commuters last Wednesday after NZ Bus said it would lock drivers out completely.

This came after the union proposed a "work to rule" form of industrial action by which they would stick to the manual and not do anything extra.

Yesterday Mr Andersen said the unions are prepared to negotiate.

He said they are committed to winning a fair pay rise and have agreed to take part in the mediated meeting.

"We'll give that a chance to settle. If we can't settle, we'll move into the next stage of the campaign," Mr Andersen said.

Asked if that meant strike action, Mr Andersen said he would not say.

However, on Friday, he told nzherald.co.nz that strike action was likely because NZ Bus would not present a revised offer.

Mr Andersen said yesterday that the unions were willing to negotiate but that the bus company was not.

NZ Bus spokeswoman Megan McSweeney said yesterday that the company is keen to hear what the unions have to say.

Asked if the company was willing to negotiate, she said she would not discuss negotiations through the media.

NZ Bus operates Metrolink, Go West, Waka Pacific, North Star, Link and City Circuit buses which carry 80,000 passengers a day.