Buses back on briefly before vote

Auckland bus passengers will receive a brief reprieve as Stagecoach buses return to the road this morning, but services will halt temporarily after the rush hour as drivers vote on the latest offer.

That meeting should decide the outcome of the pay dispute that led to a six-day strike by bus drivers, said Labour Department mediator Keith Handley.

He helped union and company officials to negotiate the new offer yesterday, and representatives of all parties expressed optimism about reaching a settlement.

"I think it's a positive outcome and I would be disappointed if it wasn't ratified," Mr Handley said.

The meeting will take drivers off the road from 9.30am to 3pm, with services resuming in time to shuttle children home from school, Stagecoach executive chairman Ross Martin said.

The meeting had been planned for tomorrow, but "because we reached agreement with the mediator, we thought we'd get all the stuff over and done with and then hopefully have a clear run from then on," he said.

Combined unions advocate Gary Froggatt also indicated that bus services should resume after the meeting. "Hopefully if the drivers accept [the proposal] then the whole thing will be over, and we'll be able to get on with other things."

No details of the proposal were given yesterday, but the Herald understands it would double the offer of backpay to $1200.

The lump sum effectively makes up the average wages the drivers have lost by striking for a week.

A source told the Herald that the first year of the revised pay deal remained the same at $15 an hour. The union had wanted $16. The second year had risen slightly from $15.33 to about $15.40. The rate for the third year stayed the same at $16.

About 900 Stagecoach drivers had been on strike since last Wednesday, seeking higher wages and six months of backpay. The company lost about $1 million in the stalemate, including subsidies and fares.

The work stoppage also raised the ire of some Auckland City councillors, who asked that measures be put in place to avoid disruption of services in the future.

Auckland road and rail traffic surged during the strike, as about 70,000 Stagecoach passengers found other means of transport.

Despite the inconvenience, public support for the drivers remained strong.