Update, Thursday, 5.45pm:
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Monday's planned bus driver strike in Bendigo has been suspended after enterprise bargaining discussions between the Transport Workers Union and Christians Bus Company were resolved.
The resolution means Bendigo buses will run as scheduled on Monday, September 23.
On Tuesday, the TWU issued a notice of intention to take protected industrial action against Christians Bus Company on Tuesday.
The new enterprise bargaining agreement will give the transport workers a livable wage increase.
Tuesday, 5pm:
Christian's Bus Company has said it is unable to agree to wage demands at present but is committed to negotiating with the Transport Workers Union.
The company released a statement on Tuesday afternoon, saying all drivers had received a wage rise every six months for a number of years based on average weekly earnings.
The company proposed drivers continued to receive wage rises in line with AWE, the statement said.
"Our drivers do a very important job and we believe our offer is very fair," the statement said.
"We will continue to negotiate in good faith with the TWU and hope to come to a sensible resolution without impacting our passengers or the community."
Earlier:
ABOUT 90 Bendigo bus drivers will strike on Monday as part of a call for more pay.
Drivers from the Spring Gully and Kangaroo Flat depots will take part in the day-long strike to call for an annually scheduled increase in pay.
The Transport Workers Union issued a notice of intention on Tuesday to take protected industrial action against Christians Bus Company on Monday September 23.
Organisers chose a Monday in school holidays as it would have the least effect on the community.
Delegate bus drivers from Christian's Bus Company, the Transport Workers Union and management have met five times since March, in an attempt to reach agreement about drivers enterprise agreements.
The TWU said significant improvements had been achieved through these negotiations.
But the TWU said Christian's Bus Company not agreed to a scheduled pay increase of four per cent (plus one per cent to superannuation) each year, failing to acknowledge the growing financial pressure of drivers.
It said the negotiation team had collectively decided to take protected industrial action from the last bus on Sunday September 22 to the first on Tuesday September 24.
Buses will run as scheduled as of Tuesday September 24.
More to come.
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