LAUNCESTON looks set to lose its Metro bus service on Thursday as part of statewide industrial action.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union Tasmanian branch secretary Samantha Simonetis said yesterday the stopwork between 10am and 2pm on Thursday was almost certain to go ahead as drivers did not think they were getting a fair deal from Metro.
Mrs Simonetis said drivers would meet on Wednesday to vote on a 2 per cent pay rise offered by Metro but they were almost certain to reject the offer, meaning the stopwork on Thursday would go ahead.
She said Metro had originally offered a 1.5 per cent pay rise, which was then increased to 2 per cent with productivity offsets.
But drivers did not see either offer as enough, plus they were unhappy with what they saw as money-wasting actions by Metro management.
She said Metro board members have been awarded a 23 per cent pay rise, Metro management was spending a lot of money on consultants that were not needed and the recent trial of carrying bikes in buses seemed like a costly failure.
Mrs Simonetis said drivers would meet after Thursday's stopwork to formulate a position to put to Metro.
But she said one of the biggest problems was that drivers felt Metro did not properly communicate and consult with them and drivers did not trust management.
Metro chief executive Heather Haselgrove said the offer of a 2 per cent pay rise each year for three years was a good one and Metro drivers were better paid than drivers in the private sector.
She said the company would pay more in return for productivity gains, plus the company was also offering a range of condition improvements.
On the matter of trust and communication, she said she had an open door policy.