Public Service Transport Corporation (PTSC) bus drivers are expected to return to work this morning but will continue their work-to-rule action until their demands for salary negotiations are met. The drivers agreed to return to work after word that Labour Minister Errol McLeod had agreed to meet with PTSC management and the workers’ union at his Duke Street, Port-of-Spain, offices today, vice president of the Transport and Industrial Workers Union (TIWU) Wendell Subiah said yesterday. The meeting is tentatively scheduled to start at 4 pm.
“The decision was taken after the minister agreed to meet with the union and management. However, the work-to-rule action will continue until our demands are met,” Subiah told the T&T Guardian in a telephone interview. He warned that thousands of commuters would still face some inconvenience as drivers will not be coming out in full force. Subiah said the drivers were upset because of the disparity in the wage and Cost of Living Allowance (Cola) and salaries paid to drivers of all other state entities compared to what is being paid to them.
He provided a copy of the breakdown in Cola and salaries paid to drivers at Petrotrin, TSTT, T&TEC, WASA, National Petroleum and PTSC. PTSC drivers are the lowest paid, receiving $152 a month in Cola and $44.50 an hour. Drivers at Petrotrin are the highest paid, receiving $1,817 in Cola a month and a minimum of $74.50 an hour. Sabiah asked: “If you look at the list, the second lowest Cola is $4.06, so why are PTSC drivers being paid $0.95? That does not make sense.
“Secondly, if you look at the salaries, PTSC drivers are paid $44.50, which is the lowest wage in the listing.” On Tuesday, hundreds of unsuspecting passengers were left stranded when almost 2,000 bus drivers did not show up for work, choosing instead to attend a meeting between the union and management at the Cascadia Hotel, St Ann’s, in a show of solidarity with the union.
Yesterday, drivers decided to begin work-to-rule action, causing many passengers to opt to use the water taxi service and maxi taxi and taxi services from South and maxi taxis and taxis along the East-West corridor instead. Buses to rural areas and the San Fernando to Port-of-Spain coach service were not available for the past two days. The water taxi service responded by adding another sailing time to its schedule, making a total of 14 sailings to and from Port-of-Spain.