Passengers To Singapore Caught Unawares By Bus Drivers' Sudden Strike

JOHOR BAHRU, July 21 (Bernama) -- Private employee Saiful Umar, 37, was among the thousands of Malaysians affected by the sudden strike by some 100 Malaysian bus drivers operating to Singapore at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI), early this morning.

"I was shocked, there was no information at all (on a strike)," he lamented.

He said passengers who arrived as early as 5 am were shocked to find a halt in the bus services due to the strike, and some passengers had no choice but to walk one to two kilometres across the Johor Causeway to get to their workplaces in the island republic.

“I arrived as usual, but suddenly all the drivers were on strike. There was no information or advance notice whatsoever. We were really unprepared. This situation is not only inconvenient, but also affects our work and image at work,” he said when contacted by Bernama.

According to Saiful, he himself had to walk almost two kilometres including from the checkpoint to his workplace in Woodlands, before taking a ride with a friend back to Tampoi because he was worried that he would encounter the same situation.

“It was really 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,” he said.

Earlier, a video recording went viral on social media showing the crowded situation at the BSI at 5.30 am, believed to be caused by disruptions to bus services following the strike.

Local media reported that the strike was believed to be caused by dissatisfaction among bus drivers over adjustments to their salary structure as well as allowance cuts, which allegedly affected their income.

Another passenger, K. Ramesh, 40, also expressed his disappointment with the situation, which he said was making it difficult for workers who had no other transportation options.

“This is ridiculous. I hope the bus company will be able to address and solve this issue as soon as possible. Such a thing not only affects our daily routine but our careers as well.

“This issue should be resolved internally. Don’t make it difficult for others. Give the bus drivers their due rights,” he said.

The media previously quoted a bus driver who wanted to be known as Atoi, 35, who claimed that about 100 drivers had decided to launch a strike starting at 5 am today in protest against the new salary adjustment by the employer.

According to him, Malaysian bus drivers ferrying passengers into Singapore previously received salaries of between RM2,800 and RM2,900 a month, but after the adjustment was made, the amount was said to have decreased to less than RM2,000.

A survey by Bernama around the Johor Causeway at 6.30 pm today found that bus operations were back to normal, and no Malaysians were seen walking across the Causeway following this morning’s incident.

Meanwhile, Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh, when contacted by Bernama tonight, confirmed the incident had occurred at the BSI early this morning.

Earlier, he had posted on Facebook that he had made a two-hour visit to BSI starting at 4 am today, together with the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) and public bus operators to monitor the operations of the counters and bus services.

-- BERNAMA