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Wage strike by Malaysian bus drivers plying Johor-Singapore Causeway left thousands of commuters stranded
A driver who works for Handal Indah – which operates the Causeway Link bus service between Singapore and Malaysia – told CNA that the drivers from his firm had protested over a pay dispute.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/asi...singapore-causeway-commuters-stranded-5249386
SINGAPORE: A pay dispute involving bus drivers for a Malaysian firm that ply the Johor-Singapore Causeway led to a protest on Monday (Jul 21) morning that affected thousands of commuters who were making their way to Singapore.
Malaysian media reported that some 100 drivers went on strike, leaving commuters temporarily stranded at Johor’s Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) Customs, Immigration and Quarantine complex.
This then led some to walk across the Causeway, with members of the public sharing photos and videos of the long queues at the BSI complex.
While initial Malaysian media reports did not name the bus company involved, a driver who works for Handal Indah - which operates the Causeway Link (CW) bus service between Singapore and Malaysia - told CNA that the drivers from his firm had protested over a pay dispute, alleging that those who protested had their salary cut ranging from several hundred to about a thousand ringgit.
CNA has contacted the firm, but did not receive a reply.
The man - who did not want to be identified - was not one of those who protested in the morning, but added that those who did had received their pay slip for the month a day late.
“That’s when they decided to protest this morning,” he said, noting that the drivers who ply the Causeway route earn more allowance than those who drive along the Second Link.
Separately, a 35-year-old bus driver whom Malaysia’s Berita Harian spoke to said that the strike stemmed from the drivers’ dissatisfaction with new salary adjustments made by the bus company, which was seen as mistreatment following a significant reduction to their pay.
The driver - who only wanted to be known as Atoi - said that the latest pay adjustment came into effect two months ago and caused the drivers’ income to “decrease significantly” at a time when the cost of living is rising.
Drivers were previously paid between RM2,800 (S$846) and RM2,900 monthly. But with the adjustment, they would be bringing home less than RM2,000 a month.
He further alleged that this does not include “unfair” mandatory conditions imposed on drivers, such as an increase in the number of daily trips to be taken from four to five. This would affect claims on excess travel, he said, as well as unclear salary deductions.
LONG QUEUES AT BSI COMPLEX
Workers whom local media spoke to were caught off guard by the sudden long queues due to the reported strike.
Munir Selamat, a restaurant worker, told Malaysian news outlet Berita Harian he was surprised to see long queues for buses to Singapore when he arrived at the BSI complex at 6.30am.
After waiting for almost half an hour, the 34-year-old and other Malaysian workers decided to walk across the 1km long Causeway from the BSI complex to Singapore to get to work on time.
Munir said he and other workers were “shocked and stunned” to see the long queue to board the buses to Singapore, before they were told that the bus drivers went on strike.
“We have no other choice but to walk into Singapore because we don't want to be late starting work and it will affect us later," he told Berita Harian.
Meanwhile, Facebook user Foong Yong was among those who shared a photo of the long queue at BSI complex on social media.
"The queue is very long, whatever bus (company you're taking) there are no buses. Those who are in a hurry can consider walking across the causeway, but it's about to rain.
"The causeway isn't jammed, just that there are no buses."
Another user Zhi Zhong Ng wrote on Facebook: “To those who are queuing for CW buses, you can walk or apply for leave from work.
“I think the CW bus drivers are on strike today. The causeway isn’t jammed at all.”
Ng added that he did not see a single CW bus at the boarding area at Woodlands Checkpoint.
According to Berita Harian, Johor State Works, Transportation, Infrastructure, and Communication Committee Chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh is expected to hold a meeting with the affected parties to resolve the strike issue.
Several dissatisfied bus drivers also reportedly returned home, while a small number of drivers agreed to resume driving at about 10.30am.
A check on the bus company’s social media pages showed no notice or updates regarding the disrupted bus services to Singapore.
Fazli had on Monday morning posted on Facebook of his visit to the BSI complex but made no mention of the disruption.
In his post, he said that the visit to the immigration complex was to observe bus services between 4am and 6am, adding that he was accompanied by personnel from Singapore’s Land Transport Authority.
CNA has reached out to LTA for comment.
Additional reporting by Ahmad Zamzahuri Abas
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Photo from Foong Yoong.
Photo from Both Checkpoint Facebook group.
