Drivers get more than others, says Stagecoach

About 20 Stagecoach bus drivers blocked the entrance to the Papakura bus depot this morning. Picture / Cathy Aronson

Striking Auckland bus drivers will get more money than any other suburban bus drivers in the city, says their employer.

About 1000 Stagecoach drivers began a six-day strike in Auckland today, threatening to bring chaos to the city as thousands of commuters looked for other ways into town.

However, Stagecoach said the strike should not be happening and said the drivers stopped work after both sides went to a formal facilitation led by the government's Employment Relations Authority.

The company agreed to the facilitator's recommendation on a settlement but the drivers did not and went on strike, the company said in a newspaper advertisement today.

The company offered 7.6 per cent in the first year. Over three years the increase was 14.8 percent with a $600 cash offer. The drivers want $16 an hour and better conditions.

- NZPA