[ad_1]
Among workers’ demands during the industry’s first strike in 22 years is a better time for safety controls and higher wages.
Victor Høy Ree-Lindstad (23) started as a bus driver during his apprenticeship when he was 18. He has now worked as a bus driver for five years and is a shop steward at the Professional Traffic Association.
Kåre Sponberg
Published:,
After a pause in negotiations between the bus drivers’ unions and business representatives, 3,800 bus drivers went on strike since 06:00 on Sunday morning.
Victor Høy Ree-Lindstad (23) is one of the pilots who went on strike. He is a bus driver for Nobina in Nesodden and a shop steward in the Professional Traffic Association.
– Bus drivers are on strike mainly now because we have lagged far behind in terms of industrial worker wages, explains Ree-Lindstad.
also read
Failure to negotiate the bus driver
Security checks for free time
Point out other factors, like it’s a bad time for routines like security checks on the bus before driving. Six minutes have been set aside to search the bus both outside and inside, and several drivers come at their leisure and take the check without paying.
A safety check can involve everything from checking the brakes, lights, and tires to whether the seats are clean.
Ree-Lindstad himself has come to work before to conduct a security check on the bus.
– It is quite common for bus drivers to be on time, as it is ultimately the responsibility of the driver, he says, adding:
– When we get behind the wheel and drive several thousand people a day. I think it is very disappointing on the part of employers that they do not see the seriousness of the situation and that it is we who have to fight.
If the parties do not reach an agreement, a total of about 12,000 conductors can be removed.
Do you have any advice in this case? Contact the journalist at [email protected].
Believe that checks are done during business hours
Jofri Lunde, head of trade policy at NHO Transport, says that security checks are carried out during working hours.
– But several bus drivers say that this is done in their free time since six minutes is not enough?
– That’s not our opinion. We obtain the best safety through local agreements for safety controls tailored to the individual bus company, type of bus, facility design and division of labor between different employees. This has worked well for many years and therefore there is no reason to change this practice, he says, adding:
– The safety of passengers, drivers and other road users is extremely important in our industry. Therefore, we have good routines for the security checks of the buses before they start.
also read
This is how the bus strike hits
Based on salary supplements
Ree-Lindstad explains that to earn nearly the same salary as many other industries, you must cover many unfavorable working hours. A starting salary without supplement is 370,000 per year.
He works evening and night shifts, as well as every other weekend, and has an average salary close to 460,000 a year.
– But there are many salary supplements out there. A bus driver who works between 8 and 16 years is perhaps 350,000 a year. It pays much less per month and is probably difficult for many to increase, especially for families with young children.
Furthermore, he believes that the employer side should have known the employees many years ago.
– This not only affects us drivers, but also others. It’s sad, of course.
Requires higher salary and security control
The trade union leader of the Professional Traffic Association, Jim Klungenes, explains that the reason why the bus drivers have gone on strike, among other things, is that the distance between the parties became too great.
– We never had a proper negotiation on solutions. We demand that the employer fulfill the promise of a salary more in line with the industrial worker’s salary, and we also have, among other things, a time requirement to carry out a security check before the bus trip begins, he says.
He also claims that the unions will agree to the next strike, and that it will be decided quickly.
Bus stop in Oslo
None of Ruter’s city and regional buses run. This affects Oslo and previously Akershus, which are Ruter’s operating areas in eastern Norway. There are some exceptions for school and special field trips, Ruter writes on his website.
All buses to Østfold and Brakar public transport are also stopped, with some exceptions for school transport.
The strike will also affect Vy train service buses, airport buses and school buses, NTB writes.
