NSW: Bus drivers threaten strikes over 'spy cameras'

AAP General News (Australia)
12-28-2008
NSW: Bus drivers threaten strikes over 'spy cameras'

EDS: Changing sixth par to make clear mananagement, not the union, are using the cameras



By Caroline Berdon

SYDNEY, Dec 28 AAP - Angry NSW bus drivers have threatened industrial action unless
the State Transport Authority (STA) removes cameras they say have been installed to "spy"

on them.

The Rail, Tram and Bus Union (RTBU) says management is using images from the six to
nine cameras mounted on each State Transit Bus to question drivers' rather than ensure
the safety of drivers and passengers.

The union is calling on the state government to remove the one camera on each bus that
is directed at the driver.

"These video cameras put a tremendous pressure (on drivers) with very little benefit,"

RTBU spokesman Raul Baonza told AAP.

"We have a new management team at the moment which is using these cameras to investigate
absolutely every trivial comment (from passengers)."

Mr Baonza said management was using the "spy cameras" to discipline drivers when they
pull out of bus lanes or have to stop suddenly.

He said bus drivers were "extremely angry" about being spied on and many were leaving
the job as a result.

"We've lost three quarters of the new trainees in the last twelve months. Of 400 new
bus drivers, 300 are gone.

"We have no doubt (the cameras) are a big part... There would be no other job where
you would be supervised 24-7 by a camera."

Bus drivers will consider striking early next year if the STA refuses to budge on the
issue, said Mr Baonza.

But he said he hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"We're basically going through the settlement procedure to try to resolve it before
we have to resort to industrial action."

Acting Premier Carmel Tebbutt said the cameras were not intended to review bus driver
performance.

"CCTV cameras have been used in buses for over 10 years. There's been new digital cameras
installed in the last 18 months," Ms Tebbutt told reporters in Sydney on Sunday.

"The government's policy is very clear. This is not about monitoring the performance
of bus drivers, this is about making our buses safer for passengers and for bus drivers.

"The police find this footage very useful when they are resolving incidents that have
occurred on buses," she said.

But a spokeswoman for Transport Minister David Campbell said there were no plans to
remove cameras from buses.

"Many drivers really like them," she told AAP. "As do passengers...it makes them feel safe.

"We won't be removing any cameras at this point."

AAP cjb/jl

KEYWORD: BUSES UPDATE (REISSUING)

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