After Wellington bus drivers issued a strike notice, their employer responded by locking out the drivers. Wellington Tramways Union secretary Kevin O’Sullivan said in a press release that the lockout was “a gross overreaction that is clearly designed to bully our members into backing away from their claims for a fair deal.” The lockout lasted only a day, being lifted when the union withdrew its strike notice.

The end of the lockout is not however the end of the dispute, with the union not ruling out further industrial action. The decision to lift the lockout was possibly influenced by the local Chamber of Commerce, which said the lockout “has caused considerable disruption to commerce in the city with employees arriving late for work and increased congestion reducing the efficiency of the transport network,” the action had come at a “bad time” as Wellington was about to play host to visitors coming to see the World of Wearable Art show.

The bus drivers have seen a large amount of support for their cause, New Zealand transport unions affiliated to the International Transport Workers Federation, including the Rail and Maritime Transport Union, Maritime Union of New Zealand, Engineering, Printing and Manufacturing Union, National Distribution Union, Merchant Service Guild, and Aviation and Marine Engineers Association, and representing tens of thousands of New Zealand transport workers met in Wellington yesterday and made a statement in support of the bus drivers. New Zealand ITF convener Wayne Butson called the lockout “an unacceptable situation. [The] wage increase drivers are asking for is modest considering their current wage level and recent cost of living hikes.”

Support has also came from the Council of Trade Unions and left-leaning political parties.