Metro budgeted $180,000 payments to contractors to break mechanic strike

Australian Community Media has seen six Metro purchase order receipts indicating Metro's preparations to pay outside contractors ranging from $20,000 to as much as $50,000.

The purchase orders were signed between October 12 and 19.

The orders relate to bus repairs in Hobart, Launceston and Burnie - work a union organiser claims are normally completed in-house.

Australian Manufacturing Workers Union state organiser Jacob Batt said the documents reveal that Metro has put in place efforts to break strike action amid ongoing negotiations over a new enterprise wage bargain.

"Metro is essentially using taxpayer dollars to contract a strike-breaking workforce and is disgraceful conduct from Metro CEO Katie Cooper," he said.

"This shows the state government and Metro would rather pay hundreds of thousands of dollars to try to break Metro mechanics, than to use that money to ensure the one-third of vacant mechanic positions can be filled in order to fix Metro.

A Metro Tasmania spokesman said the union's claim around the purchase orders was incorrect.

"Metro regularly raises purchase orders across its business. These are an estimated spend to support all types of external engagements and do not guarantee that level of spend," the he said.

"Metro has not paid the claimed amount to the contractors."

Wage negotiations between worker representatives and Metro management have dragged on since the start of this year, and the AMWU Metro mechanics voted to begin industrial action in September.

The union has so far organised numerous stop-work meetings, including full-shift strikes, as well as bans on supplementary work and warranty work on the buses.

The services included in the $180,000 of purchase orders include regular after-hours bus maintenance and warranty work in Hobart and Launceston - services usually performed by the company's in-house mechanics.

Mr Batt said worker representatives and Metro management will meet next week for more negotiations.

A Metro spokesman confirmed the company has a "business continuity plan" in place, which has mitigated the impact of the protected industrial action, resulting in a "minimal impact to services".

"Metro provides essential services in the Tasmanian community and is entitled to mitigate against protected industrial action to ensure it keeps its bus services operating."

"Metro continues to negotiate with the union in good faith to deliver a new Engineering Employees Enterprise Agreement that is fair, affordable and reasonable," the spokesman said.

"However, Metro does not intend to negotiate this agreement through the media."

He said the state bus company already boosted most mechanic employees' pay by 10.22 per cent, but that the union was seeking a 43 per cent increase in the first year.

The AMWU's Mr Batt has denied this, saying the union would accept a pay increase of that magnitude phased over several years.