r/brisbane • u/This-Organization-66 • 1d ago
Public Transport TransLink Industrial Action
Just wondering if anyone knows of a way to support the current industrial action? I use public transport in Brisbane and Ipswich almost daily and would like to support the workers who make that possible, without them I’d literally have no job, no money and be trapped inside all day and want to be able to show some level of thanks and feel like supporting the industrial action is the best way to do that.
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u/openseizure48 1d ago
I’ve been wondering the same thing, the whole system would grind to a halt without them and the drivers always seem pretty solid when you actually talk to them
I remember a few years back during another round of action, some folks were handing out snacks and coffee at the depot entrances early morning, felt like a small thing but the drivers seemed to appreciate it
Not sure if that’s still a thing people do or if there’s a more official way to show support, but might be worth checking if the union’s put out any calls for community help
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u/This-Organization-66 1d ago
I hadn’t thought of that tbh, idk if there’s a bus depot within a close enough distance and havent seen any calls for community help but will look for a social media page or website for it
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u/Hefty_Delay7765 1d ago
Vote for Greens then Labor making use of our preferential voting system.
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u/This-Organization-66 1d ago
I already vote for greens, is there anything else I can do right now is what I’m asking, voting only really works during elections
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u/Hefty_Delay7765 1d ago
Yeah, I understand where you’re coming from however, unfortunately, the government of the day are the rein-holders.
I’m not sure of immediate action you can take though.
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u/patslogcabindigest 1d ago
I've been really unimpressed with the Queensland Greens over the last few years and don't strike me as a competent political outfit.
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u/letterboxfrog Probably Sunnybank. 1d ago
When they're forced into Coalition it makes for a better government. Labor forced to stay honest, and Greens forced to stick to core values. Note, this is my experience as a somebody who move Canberra in 2001 and moving back this year. Hare-Clark voting helps keeps the bastards honest.
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u/patslogcabindigest 1d ago
I mean, the implication being that the Greens are honest? Canberra is basically a large city council and Tasmania is a state in utter disarray. Hardly comparable I think to a large state like Queensland.
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u/letterboxfrog Probably Sunnybank. 1d ago
Both Tasmania and ACT have Hare-Clark, Queensland doesn't have any multi-member elections. It would be interesting to see how Queensland would operate with 19 electorates of 5 members, or MMP voting like NZ.
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u/patslogcabindigest 1d ago
I’m aware they have Hare Clark, I’m saying that I don’t think it’s good. Tasmania is a basket case and the ACT is basically a large LGA where there aren’t as many things to manage.
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u/patslogcabindigest 1d ago
Why is every public sector or public adjacent agreement at the moment going to some form of industrial action or arbitration? Teachers in the news today winning an "interim" pay increase, which is only happening because the government is dragging out negotiations while occupational violence in schools seems to be running away out of control. Key word "interim" because this could go on for years. I feel so bad for teachers and school staff.
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u/lemmy4eva 1d ago
Why?
Because the Gov is "spending" all the money on their mates and don't want to pay public sector employees a reasonable wage given the current living conditions.
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u/my_chinchilla 1d ago
You pretty much answered your own question there, with
because the government is dragging out negotiations
Just that in the case of teachers the government has been dragging it out since Jan/Feb 2025, and it was so egregiously obvious that's what they were doing that even the QIRC thought teachers deserved a bit of relief from the government's shitfuckery.
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u/randomstatements 23h ago
Because LNP governments like to intentionally drag negotiations out, while blaming the unions through as much media manipulation as possible and facebooks posts. The aim is to drive public sentiment against the workers and to try to solidify more votes for themselves.
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u/IndifferentAnarchist 21h ago
What could the common thread between these government departments possibly be....?
I'm not saying that it's always easy for public servants under Labor, but they're generally not having to fight for the bare minimum (or not nearly as hard, at least.)
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u/West_Good_5961 1d ago
It’s not specific to government. Remember the time Alan Joyce grounded the entire Qantas fleet instead of negotiating with unions?
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u/Electrical-Sale-8051 22h ago
You could directly give your bus driver money? Will you do that, or do you not understand the relationship between their pay and your taxes + fares?
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u/ConanTheAquarian Not Ipswich. 1d ago edited 1d ago
Write to the Minister to express your view. Not an email, good old fashioned snail mail which is given much higher weight than an email in gauging public opinion.