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New Zealand: Lockout of Wellington bus drivers lifted after court ruling
Last Thursday, New Zealand’s biggest public transport company, NZ Bus, announced an indefinite lockout of about 280 drivers in Wellington who were to hold a 24-hour strike the following day against attacks on wages and conditions.
The Tramways Union filed an injunction with the Employment Court, which on Saturday ordered that the lockout be lifted. The court ruled that there was “an arguable case” that NZ Bus’s lockout notice was unlawful.
Bus drivers picketing outside the Wellington depot
Bus services have resumed but the pay dispute remains unresolved. The company said it would not rule out more lockouts if there was not “significant progress” on pay talks this week. The talks will be mediated by the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), chaired by the Labour Party’s Daran Ponter, which contracts NZ Bus for services in the capital.
Wellington NZ Bus lockout: Employment Court rules in favour of drivers
24 Apr, 2021 03:22 AM
2 minutes to read
Wellington bus drivers and supporters gathered at Kilbirnie Depot yesterday. Photo / Nick James
RNZ
The Employment Court has ordered NZ Bus to let drivers back into work, following a lockout notice served this week.
About 100 NZ Bus employees in Wellington walked off the job yesterday, in what was supposed to be a one-day strike following a break down in pay negotiations.
But their employer retaliated with a lockout notice, and the union applied to the court for an injunction.
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After a court hearing today, Judge Bruce Corkill has issued an interim injunction against the lockout, ruling that there is an arguable case the lockout notices do not comply with the Employment Relations Act.