Hundreds of bus drivers gathered at a noisy rally at NZ Bus headquarters in Auckland on Friday to show their frustration at being locked out in a pay dispute, as commuters in the city faced a second day without bus services.
The long-running dispute has left 50,000 passengers having to make other arrangements since Thursday.
Bus workers stood outside the NZ Bus headquarters waving placards and banners bearing slogans such as 'Lock-Out Not Strike' and 'NZ Bus Profit Before Safety'.
Linda Maynard who has been a bus driver in Auckland for over 25 years says the public has shown support despite commuter frustration over the dispute.
The combined unions representing bus drivers and cleaners went into mediation with the Employment Relations Authority on Friday morning, but the unions are not expecting a recommendation until Sunday.
The unions issued a notice of work to rule on Monday, after rejecting the company's most recent offer of a 10.5% pay increase, spread over three years.
In response, NZ Bus locked workers out and the company says services will remain suspended until the notice of industrial action is withdrawn by the unions.
NZ Bus operations general manager Zane Fulljames says looked forward to the chance to sit back down at the table with the unions.
He says the moment the unions lift the notice of action the suspension of services will be lifted and commuters can return to their normal daily travel.
Limited bus service at weekend
The affected services are Metrolink, North Star, Go West, Waka Pacific, Link and City Circuit.
The Auckland Regional Transport Authority will continue to operate limited bus services on Saturday along New Lynn via Sandringham Road, along Dominion Road, Mt Eden Road and Manukau Road.
There is no weekend service for the Hibiscus Coast or along New Lynn via Great North Road.
Weekend rail and ferry services will operate as normal.
The authority says it will provide extra train carriage space on Monday morning if the dispute had not been resolved.
Council to penalise NZ Bus
Auckland Regional Council plans to pursue financial sanctions against NZ Bus for stopping services.
ARC chairman Mike Lee says the council pays $150,000 a day in subsidy to NZ Bus and ratepayers should not have help fund a service that is not being delivered.
Mr Fulljames has said the company has not been contacted about any financial sanctions and would deal with the issue any contact is made.
NZ Bus says it will ensure that customers holding weekly or monthly bus passes will not be financially disadvantaged, and is working through a way to reimburse them.
Auckland Regional Transport Authority spokesperson Sharon Hunter says the authority will not be paying NZ Bus while its services are not running.
