Pay cut, extra trips caused strike among Singapore-bound bus drivers

New Straits Times

a day ago

JOHOR BARU: Some 100 shuttle bus drivers serving the Johor Baru–Singapore route resumed duty this morning after the company company agreed to reinstate their previous salary structure, ending a one-day strike that caused major disruptions for thousands of cross-border commuters.
The strike was sparked by a revised pay scheme which saw drivers losing between RM800 and RM900 in monthly income. They were also required to make an additional daily trip to Singapore. Previously, they are required to make four trips back and forth Johor Baru-Singapore.
Driver Atoi, 35, said his monthly salary had previously averaged RM2,800 before the changes were implemented two months ago.
"The new structure significantly reduced our earnings. We were not trying to inconvenience commuters, we just wanted our rights respected," he said.
"We returned to work only after the company agreed to revert to the original pay terms."
He added the discontent among Singapore-bound shuttle bus drivers were over pay cuts and additional duties has been brewing for months.
"When our latest salary slips were issued a day late, it broke the camel's back, triggering yesterday's strike by some 100 drivers," Atoi said.
The drivers had kept the bus doors shut while parked at the Bangunan Sultan Iskandar's bus terminal platform, where the Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex, is housed.
The New Straits Times learnt that drivers on the Causeway route usually received higher allowances than those on the Second Link, so the impact was deeply felt.
"We used to earn between RM2,800 and RM2,900 a month. After the adjustment, some of us took home less than RM2,000," he said.
"There were also salary deductions we do not fully understand. The system has become unfair and unclear," he said.
The drivers resumed work after the bus company agreed to revert to the previous salary structure following a meeting with Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communication committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh.
The strike began at 5am on Monday and triggered a massive congestion at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI), with some workers resorting to walking across the Causeway to reach their jobs in Singapore.
Operations resumed in stages after state exco Mohamad Fazli intervened and mediated between the drivers and the company yesterday afternoon.
"About half of us resumed work yesterday evening. The rest returned to work this morning," Atoi said.
Anwar Ahmad, 29, a Malaysian cleaner working in Singapore, said this morning's commute went smoothly with no queues at the BSI bus platforms.
"Yesterday was a nightmare. Today, everything was back to normal. Buses were on time, no delays," he said.
Mohamad Fazli, who is also Bukit Pasir assemblyman, confirmed service had fully resumed and expressed confidence that the matter would be resolved in good faith.