$61 million in bus driver funding: where has it gone?
The Wigram talks to AWUNZ's Lindsay Chappell, secretary of the union representing the member drivers, and seeks to understand the drivers' demands and the issue of fair pay.
Picture: a metro station in Riccarton.
Lindsay Chappell, secretary for Amalgamated Workers Union NZ Christchurch, believes the city’s share of $61 million - earmarked by government for overdue bus driver pay negotiations - has already been paid to Environment Canterbury. ECAN has told The Wigram it “has not yet received its share of this funding. We are currently working with operators, unions, and Waka Kotahi to agree on and implement this.” Chappell understood Deloittes or another major firm had been commissioned to do the funding distribution before Christmas and that it had been done.
Christchurch’s public transport sector is suffering from a severe driver shortage and has seen the cancellation of close to 8,000 bus trips between October and December 2022. Yesterday AWUNZ held a stop-work meeting to receive claims from its members in preparation for the fair-pay negotiations set to take place with the two major metro bus operators Ritchies and Go Bus.
Chappell said “none of them (operators) are” paying the drivers enough. Go Bus drivers currently receive $28.94 per hour and Ritchies $28.
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