KEY POINTS:
Thousands of Wellingtonians were left stranded and late for work this morning as the capital's bus drivers walked off the job in a rapidly escalating pay dispute.
This action took out buses departing from the Railway Station and the Karori depot between 7.30am and 8.30am.
It also hit the 23 school buses and the drivers will take similar action during this afternoon's peak hour.
The drivers' employer, GO Wellington, has responded by threatening to lock out the drivers from 5.30am tomorrow, halting most public bus services in the city.
A small number of privately owned bus companies are not involved in the action.
Drivers employed by GO Wellington, which is contracted to provide the public bus service for Metlink, said yesterday that their strike during peak hours would be repeated for the remainder of the week and possibly into next week if their pay demands were not met.
The response from GO Wellington was to lock out the drivers from 5.30am tomorrow.
"This is the last resort for GO Wellington," chief executive Bruce Emson told Radio New Zealand.
The drivers had decided on action which would create maximum chaos, but with minimum impact on their hours, he said.
Trying to get services back to normal during the middle part of the day would be almost impossible.
The Wellington Tramways Union, representing the striking drivers, wants an 8 per cent pay increase. GO Wellington has responded with a 7 per cent offer this year followed by 3 per cent next year, and a $250 gross cash payment.
"It's a very generous offer, given the current environment. CPI is at 4 per cent and average wages across New Zealand are at about 3.5 per cent," Mr Emson said.
The union's request for between 8 and 12 per cent increase was "quite extraordinary", given these economic times, he added.
Union president Nick Kelly said the company introduced shift changes last year which cut drivers' pay packets by up to 19 per cent.
"So a 7 per cent offer doesn't cover what they lost last year," he said.
"The hourly rate is still abysmal. Drivers are basically saying the money is still not good enough."
Mr Emson said the company would be working throughout the day to get a resolution with the union.
- NZPA
