The Greens support the proposed strike action by members of the RTBU on behalf of bus drivers' call for safe working conditions and an end to the privatisation of bus services.
Jenny spoke in Nov 2017 on behalf of the NSW Greens on the 10,000-signature petition opposing the privatisation of Inner West bus services.
Jenny and the Member for Balmain, Jamie Parker MP joined community and union members condemning this privatisation.
This week, Greens NSW Transport spokesperson, Abigail Boyd MLC and Greens NSW spokesperson on Workers Rights David Shoebridge MLC, released the following statement regarding the current demands and proposed strike of members of the RTBU:
"The Greens stand strongly in support of this action. Bus drivers are striking because their jobs and wellbeing are under attack from the NSW Liberal Government.
"In the middle of a pandemic, we should be supporting our essential workers, not throwing them under the bus.
"The community knows that privatising our public buses doesn't work. It leads to less reliable, less frequent, less affordable services and puts jobs at risk.
"You don't get through a pandemic by putting essential workers' health at risk, and you definitely won't get through a recession by putting jobs at risk."
Greens NSW Workers Rights Spokesperson David Shoebridge says:
"Public bus services need to remain in public hands, that is the only way to ensure quality, equity and safety.
"Bus drivers have a right to demand they are safe at work and this is a genuine issue when services are crowded beyond social distancing standards.
"The green dots on bus seats are there for a public health reason and when passenger numbers exceed them, then drivers have a right to demand extra measures.
"The Greens again call on the government to provide free masks for all staff and passengers on Sydney bus services, this is the simplest and fairest response to the drivers' legitimate work health and safety concerns," Mr Shoebridge said.
