Meet the driver who saved a life

When a women collapsed on the 466 route Amar Wahid was driving he didn’t hesitate to put his long term first aid training to use.

Amar said the woman had run for the bus and was breathing heavily when she got on, but after a while on the bus she didn’t look very well and suddenly collapsed.

“Her face started changing colour,” he said, “and you only have a few seconds in that situation to choose to do something or not. I just jumped in.”

Amar got his first aid certificate when he worked as a personal trainer before becoming a bus driver. “I have just kept renewing it every three years. It’s a short day of training but you can really help people if you keep it up to date,” he said.

Despite having his first aid certificate for a long time, he had never put it to use in a serious situation. He had looked after small burns and cuts, but had never performed CPR.

“After she collapsed I checked her airways, and there was nothing, so I just started the CPR. And those 12 or 15 minutes before the ambulance arrived were the longest in my life.”

Amar has been a driver for about two years now and says he doesn’t have much spare time between work and looking after his young family. “I like driving buses, it’s a good job. We work hard and we do our best to look out for the wellbeing of passengers, but it can also be long hours in heavy traffic, I just hope people recognise that.”

Unions NSW 2012 wrap up

Check out this end of year message from Unions NSW Secretary Mark Lennon and this round up of all the hard work unions and their members have done this year to protect the jobs and conditions of working people.

Proud to be union!

Transport masterplan released

The NSW government released its long awaited transport masterplan two days ago just yesterday with plans to introduce light rail services from the city out to Randwick and down George St.

RTBU Secrteary Alex Claassens responded to the plan saying the Government’s commitment to additional public transport in the masterplan was welcome but the detail and delivery needed to be treated with caution.

You can read more about the masterplan here

Love for Christmas buses

State Transit Christmas buses have hit the streets and the public loves it!

Twitter has been full of photos and people talking about their ride on a Christmas bus.

Competition is now heating up on who will take out the prize for best Christmas bus. Send us photos of your depot’s Christmas bus and we’ll put them up on Bus Express for you to compare and contrast.

Looking back on 2012…

A Christmas message from Chris and Gary

We can hardly believe it but here we are at the final edition of Bus Express for 2012.

This year has proved that we have to be ever vigilant when it comes to protecting our rights at work.

We have seen the Government enact wholesale cuts and outsourcing of services across the board.

After fighting hard last year to secure a fair Agreement with State Transit, drivers were outraged by attempts by STA CEO Peter Rowley to vary the Agreement not one year after it was made.

Drivers responded to this by sending a message, loud and clear, to STA and to the NSW Government that an Agreement is an Agreement and they will not be held to ransom by threats of privatisation. Read more »

Light Rail wins in 2012

Light Rail workers have stood strongly together to negotiate a new Enterprise Agreement that will see 18% pay rises over 4 years with no losses to working conditions.

Members have long argued for pay rises that would bring wages in line with those of their counterparts in other cities and this outcome will go some way to closing that gap without affecting conditions. Read more »

Taking action to protect workers exposed to Asbestos

State Transit management has agreed to implement a program of testing members employed at the organisation during the 80s and 90s for asbestos related diseases after learning about asbestos brakes used in this period.

The union questioned State Transit about its planned response to the discovery, saying that it had to take responsibility for the impact this could have on its employees now and into the future.

The program is a good news from State Transit, but should only be the first step. The union will continue to advocate for the organisation to take appropriate actions take responsibility for work practices that put employees at risk all those years ago. Read more »

Belmont BBQ Bacon Brekkie

The BBQ and the bacon were out at the latest Bus and Tram Division BBQ held at Belmont depot.

This will be the final BBQ for what has been a fantastic year for David, Chris and Gary.

The guys have really enjoyed meeting members at all of the depots they have visited and would like to thank everyone who has come along for their participation and for their feedback! Read more »

Know your rights: A Christmas edition

with Brett Peters….

I would like to wish all RTBU Bus and Tram Division members and their families a safe, happy and prosperous holiday season and New Year.Your membership and input is what makes our union strong.

Section 42. Rosters

What’s Barry been up to?

Since taking office in March 2011, Barry O’Farrell and his Government have made a number of cuts to funding, jobs, workers’ rights and services.

Unions NSW has put together an overview of what the workers of NSW have endured thus far. Read more »