Hundreds of commuters were left stranded in Sydney’s northwest on Wednesday after at least a 115 drivers of the Hillsbus network called in sick leading many to assume that the mass bunk had been “intentionally planned” by Indian-origin drivers due to Diwali.
Images on social media showed hundreds of frustrated passengers standing in queues, braving the rain and delays, while attempting to get to work in the morning.
Many of them took to Facebook and Twitter to rant about the disruptions, accusing drivers of taking a day-off to celebrate Diwali.
REALITY OF HILLS BUS FAKE "STRIKE" is 80% of drivers are Indian & it's their major Diwali festival. Some would have asked for leave, others were denied & have just taken it off cos it's their thing. Reverse racism is rife - Indians outnumber other drivers 4:1.
— radarronnie (@radarronnie1)
Clarifying the reason behind the sudden absence of bus drivers, the network spokesman told the that it was in fact a covert strike planned by the drivers over pay and work conditions.
“Hillsbus is in the middle of discussions with drivers about a new enterprise agreement,” a Hillsbus spokesperson said.
“The Transport Workers’ Union is supportive of the package being offered, which is superior to that of all other private operators in Sydney, and it is believed most drivers support the offer as well.
“This action is by a group of drivers and the industrial action is not authorised by the TWU (Transport Workers Union),” the spokesperson added.
Meanwhile, a Hillsbus driver who doesn’t wish to be named told SBS Punjabi that the strike was in fact a flash call by a group of drivers and had “nothing to do with Diwali.”
“It was just a bad coincidence. In fact, I feel that it was foolish of them to overlook the fact that it was Diwali. The Indian drivers have been unnecessarily blamed for the disruptions,” he said.
He further clarified that “It was a strike over higher wages and the new timetables the network has recently rolled out which doesn’t leave room for the drivers to take break between intermittent trips.”
Earlier today, Transport for NSW announced on Twitter that the services have now returned to normal.
