Striking bus drivers head into arbitration talks

Striking Auckland bus drivers were due to go into binding arbitration talks in Auckland today aimed at ending their six-day strike which has caused commuter chaos in the city.

The Stagecoach drivers were due to meet tomorrow to assess the talks which were ordered by the Employment Relations Authority.

The drivers are demanding a wage increase to take their hourly rate to $16 and went on strike for six days on Thursday.

Four unions and less than 1000 drivers are involved in the strike. Yesterday, some drivers rallied against the unions.

A Labour Department mediator was due at the talks today.

Tens of thousands of passengers took to private cars, extra rail services and to buses provided by other operators.

The strike caused heavy traffic in the city and on the motorways, extending peak traffic congestion on the roads.

Union advocate Gary Froggatt said the union had offered to accept $15 an hour for a year and backpay until late last year. The company wanted a three-year deal for the wage increase - $15 an hour immediately and two steps to take the hourly wage to $16 in 2007. It also offered $600 cash as back pay.

- NZPA