Labor strongly supports the AMWU's calls for Minister Michael Ferguson to fund, fix and save Metro, because right now he is failing on every front.
With huge cancellation lists due to driver retention and attraction problems and now the mechanics stopping work over pay and conditions, it's clear Metro needs support.
Yet despite all these issues, the Minister has failed to show leadership, attempting to hide behind a defence of low unemployment rates.
Minister Ferguson can't talk about labour market demands and do nothing to meet them.
We've heard from other bus operators who are not having the same trouble attracting and retaining staff as Metro.
We've heard that Metro's mechanics are being offered up to $10 per hour less than the industry rate of pay.
Mechanics have specialist skills and they will walk out the door like the drivers unless the culture and conditions are improved.
Minister Ferguson has the power to fund, fix and save Metro, but he hasn't done a thing.
Liberal Governments have a bad habit of running services into the ground and either cutting them or privatising them, and that's exactly what the Minister appears to be planning here.
Josh Willie MLC
Shadow Minister for Transport
