A wage strike led by bus drivers left passengers stranded at the Johor-Singapore Causeway last 21 July. The strike caused a disruption at Bagunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) at the Malaysia-Singapore border, leading passengers to walk along the Causeway Link.
SALARY CUTS DRIVE STRIKE
Around 100 drivers from a Malaysian bus company called a strike over significant salary cuts. Before the cut, the drivers made MYR 2,800 – MYR 2,900 per month (Around AUD 1,018 – AUD 1,54). Starting in May, their employer reduced their salaries to only MYR 2,000 per month (AUD 727) or even less. Some of the protesting drivers did not receive any salary cuts but were instead paid a day late.
Channel News Asia (CNA) spoke with one of the drivers, who used the moniker Atoi, about the strike last Monday. According to Atoi, the strike is only one of the issues the drivers had with their employers. He cited “unfair mandatory conditions,” such as an increase from 4 to 5 trips per day.
STRANDED PASSENGERS
The buses operate between Malaysia and Singapore, bringing Malaysian workers across the border as early as 5AM in the morning. On 21st July, however, would-be passengers were shocked to find long queues. Originally, it was assumed that the Causeway link had a traffic jam, but passengers found that buses were out of operation. They had no choice but to take the 2-kilometre walk across the Causeway.
Passengers complained of the lack of notice and information. Bernama interviewed a dismayed passenger and private employee who described the situation as “tiring.” “When many people have to walk at the same time, the situation becomes crowded and unsafe. We hope the responsible parties can provide an immediate explanation and find a solution,” said the passenger.
“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,” said another passenger interviewed by outlet Berita Harian.
Crowds began to amass at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI), alerting both media and Malaysia’s Johor State Executive Council. Chairman Mohamad Fazli Salleh announced that the council deployed buses as an alternative for the frustrated passengers. He also urged the offending bus company to come to a resolution with its employees.
Luckily, the strike did not last the entire day. Some of the drivers going home while others began their route as usual at 10:30AM.
The bus company remains unnamed throughout various sources. Though CNA reached out to the firm and received no response. They also reported that there have been no updates so far on the company’s social media pages.
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