From Sunday morning, 3,800 bus drivers in Oslo and Viken will go on strike after the negotiations broke down four hours of overtime on Sunday night.
The 3,800 drivers go on strike from six o’clock on Sunday morning.
If the conflict continues, almost 12,000 bus drivers could be taken out on strike across the country.
All city and regional buses have gone on strike. No buses run in Oslo and Viken (formerly Akershus).
© NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today
Public transportation is my only means of transportation.
WHY did the bus drivers go on strike? WHAT are their grievances?
From what I’ve gathered from other sources this is how the situation came to be:
The buscompany wins a concession and gets paid a set amount for a year all at once. The money from the tickets goes back to the county. The company and the employers had arranged for wages to go up to get in line with industry standards a few years ago. This year they were due another raise. However, the company now claims that due to corona they cannot afford the raise. As such, busdrivers got angry. This is what information I got. Whether this is the entire story, I’m not sure. I hope this makes you understand a little.
Public transport is my only means of transport. But because of the pandemic situation companies have requested that their employees do not use public transport for fear of spreading the virus. This is a no win situation for all in these tough times.
I understand the companies situation and the bus drivers situation and a more serious issue is the digital buses with no driver! I agree that bus drivers demand more as cost of living is high but on the other side bus users should not be overcharged either.
Government should find ways to solve economic issues and not penalize john public with heavy taxes.