The Transport Workers Union (TWU) yesterday told Adelaide bus operator Torrens Transit that its members will begin a 24-hour strike at 3am on Monday, January 9.

The union’s members who work for Torrens Transit voted last month in favour of industrial action due to frustration over stalled enterprise bargaining negotiations.

Torrens Transit is the sole operator of the East-West, Outer North East (which includes the O-Bahn), and Outer North contract regions for Adelaide bus services.

The company is also part of a three-way consortium, “Torrens Connect”, operating the North-South bus contract region, which includes the Adelaide CBD.

A map of Adelaide Metro’s bus contract regions. Torrens Transit operates the East-West, Outer North East, Outer North and parts of the North South region. Image: Adelaide Metro

The TWU is looking for Torrens Transit to pay bus drivers more than $32 an hour. According to the union, the average wage for Torrens Transit drivers currently sits at $25.70 an hour. This is disputed by Torrens Transit, which says the current hourly rate is $28.58.

The union is also seeking changes to the company’s rostering system whereby, according to the TWU, a bus driver can be rostered over 12.5 hours but only paid for only six to seven hours due to a lengthy break in-between.

TWU SA/NT branch secretary Ian Smith said: “This fight is not just about our bus drivers, it’s also about building a better bus network for our community.”

“Striking is a last resort and not a decision that we take lightly, but our hardworking bus drivers have been given no choice,” he said in a statement.

He also apologised to commuters for the looming disruption.

“We thank the community for their continued support and understanding and apologise for any inconvenience caused next week as our drivers lead this crucial fight for a better bus industry,” Smith said.

Torrens Transit employs more than 1000 bus drivers in Adelaide. The TWU says more than 700 of them are union members.

A spokesperson for Torrens Transit said the company was “disappointed the union is proceeding with strike action, particularly in the light of a planned meeting scheduled for Tuesday, 10 January 2023”.

“We had hoped to negotiate in good faith, and work collaboratively, however, this industrial action from the union does not demonstrate these principles and aims to inconvenience the public,” the company said.

“We have already committed to a first-year wage increase of 5.75 per cent, and offered an additional 0.25 per cent to the national superannuation guarantee rate for each year of the agreement. We believe we are offering above market rates and conditions for our staff.

“We are working to determine the level of services that we can provide for the public. However, we anticipate some service disruptions will occur on Monday 9 January.

“We hope to reach a resolution with the union at our planned Tuesday meeting.”

Premier Peter Malinauskas said the state government had “few options” to address the work stoppage as the dispute was between a private company and its employees.

Asked if the state government would be stepping in with other services for commuters, Malinauskas said: “This affects such as substantial amount of the bus network that it’s almost impossible to replace or replicate.”

“But naturally we’ll monitor the situation as close as we can and anything we can do to ease the impact on commuters then we’ll seek to do it.”

Since Christmas Eve, union members working for Torrens Transit have not been wearing company uniforms. The industrial action received 95 per cent support in a protected action ballot of union members last month.

Malinauskas urged the TWU and Torrens Transit to return to the negotiating table.

“What I seek to do as Premier is actively encourage parties to avoid industrial disputation getting to this level,” he said.

“Clearly working people at the moment across the country deserve to see a pay rise, we’ve got inflation running at high levels and I don’t think it’s unreasonable for working people wanting to maintain their standard of living rather than seeing it diminished.

“Which is why I’d advocate that the union and also the employer sit down at the negotiating table sooner rather than later and seek to avoid this level of disputation because nobody wins from.”