[ad_1]
STATUS: Bus traffic in much of Oslo and Viken is affected by a drivers strike. Here are buses parked at Ulven in Oslo. Photo: Terje Pedersen, NTB
The bus drivers union has the financial power for a long-term strike. 8,200 drivers across the country are ready to strike.
– The potential throughout the country is great. We have pointed out that an escalation may be imminent, but we have not said anything about when it may happen, says communications manager at Fellesforbundet, André Nerheim to VG.
– There will probably be a relatively quick escalation, says the communications manager of the Professional Traffic Association Tormund Hansen Skinnarmo.
– How many new bus drivers will be eliminated then?
– I can’t say the number, but it will be felt. All four unions will decide this in the near future, says Hansen Skinnarmo.
The escalation of the strike must be reported to the national corridor and employers four days in advance.
On Sunday morning, the 3,800 bus drivers in Oslo and eastern Norway went on strike at 6am on Sunday, after mediation with NHO Transport and Spekter was unsuccessful.
The striking drivers belong to Yrkestrafikkforbundet (YTF) with 1,900 drivers, Fellesforbundet with 1,100, Jernbaneforbundet with 600 and Fagforbundet with 200 drivers.
During the strike, none of Ruter’s city and regional buses leave. This affects Oslo and Viken, which are Ruter’s areas of influence in eastern Norway. Brakar and Østfold public transport drivers have also gone on strike.
FAIR: – This is a fair blow to correct financial imbalances. The skilled bus drivers have been on the front lines under the crown and they have done an incredibly important job. At the risk of their own health, they have gotten up and taken our children to school and you and me to work. It is not voluntary to reduce wages, says LO leader Hans-Christian Gabrielsen, among other things, in a statement. Photo: Ola Vatn, VG
Mobilizing now
– Drivers are super motivated and ready for battle, a long battle if necessary. We have the financial muscle to keep going for a long time, says Nerheim.
The four unions organize a total of 12,000 bus drivers across the country, who can go on strike if wage demands are not met.
– If they take out all bus drivers, almost all bus traffic will stop, he says.
The largest cities will be the most affected.
– But also outside in the towns, which do not have trains, trams or subways, the strike will make itself felt. In many places, the bus is the livelihood of the local community, says Nerheim in Fellesforbundet.
Salary requirements
The background to the strike is primarily wage demands.
– Bus drivers have lagged behind in the evolution of wages for many years. The average salary is perhaps 450,000 kronor a year, including all supplements. In the past three years alone, drivers have dropped NOK 16,000 compared to industrial workers, Nerheim says.
Greater pressure on other public transport
– Is the strike responsible when the country is in a pandemic and the strike will generate greater pressure on trains, trams and subways?
– Of course, infection control rules must be observed. Strike or not. Our trained bus drivers have done an incredible job on the front lines during the crown situation. Nerheim believes that it would be completely wrong to use this as an argument to turn them into salary losers.
Routes – Don’t travel unless you have to
– Do not travel unless necessary, keep the recommended distance and use a bandage according to the recommendations of the health authorities, Ruter writes in a press release.
The trip planner will not be updated and therefore the trip suggestions containing buses will not be correct. Trams, subways, and boats are expected to operate normally. If this changes, Ruter will post updated information on ruter.no
– Security check in free time
– We experience that the employer side uses the pandemic in which we find ourselves as a pretext. The driver is required by law to carry out a security check of the bus, but often there is not enough time reserved for this. We don’t agree that drivers should continue to do this in their spare time, says Professional Traffic Association union leader Jim.
Klungnes.
Mediation between the parties began on Friday, September 18, and had a deadline of midnight on Sunday, September 20.
