Dear members,

We hope that you are adhering to safety guidelines and have managed to keep yourself safe from this pesky virus. Remember you can wear a mask when you  feel like the situation calls for it. We wear masks to not only protect ourselves but to protect those around us and the more vulnerable of our society.

The Victorian situation is not calming down and we have to be more vigilant than ever. The beginning of August has brought more restrictions in NSW as all gyms must register as COVID safe and have COVID safety plans in place and a COVID-19 Safe Hygiene Marshal on duty at all times. We will keep you updated as restrictions change.

From midnight tonight, all NSW residents returning from Victoria will need to pay for their mandatory hotel quarantine and all must return through Sydney airport. Of course this excludes border community residents. Queensland has also closed its borders to NSW residents from tomorrow morning and there are long queues to get in today. Looks like our beachside holidays up north will have to wait a little bit.

Another reminder that the 20 days paid special leave for NSW public sector workers that have been affected by COVID-19 has been extended to August 7th and will be a point of consultation and review again at that point by  Unions NSW.

Our face mask win in NSW has been great as drivers are able to ask for masks from their employer for when they feel unsafe. However, the fight isn't over yet. We still think that commuters should be wearing masks on public transport where physical distancing is not possible and the bus has become overloaded. It's basic safety protocol at this point.

As the Victorian situation worsens with stage four restrictions in place and nightly curfews in place, we ask that our members do their due diligence and remain cautious about their health.​

And now isn't the time to forget about the plan to privatise our remaining buses! Let's stick together during this unprecedented moment and show them that we're still itching for a fight and we'll bring one if they keep sidelining us. 

Call your MP about bus privatisation

We are continuing the fight against bus privatisation and have launched a brand new way to call your MP. It's really important that we contact MPs and tell them why they're doing the wrong thing as many of the bus routes under the axe fall under local MP electorates, meaning that they are supporting the move and ruining bus services for residents in their own electorates who may have voted for them!

That's despicable. We have to do something about it.

You can do something by telling them you want to be heard and use our simple tool to ring up your local MP office without having to think about which MP to call. Just make sure you ring them up during office hours and don't let them push you aside by telling you to write them a letter or email instead. Tell them you have to be heard and you need a meeting to discuss bus privatisation.

Just make sure they haven't already committed to opposing the privatisation of buses by checking out our gallery here.

Click here to give your MP a call and tell them why they need to oppose bus privatisation now.

A guide to face masks

Please see our handy graphic below to make sure you are wearing your mask properly.

COVID-19: FAQs

We are constantly updating the COVID-19 frequently asked questions section of the website, so please make sure you head there and have a look. If you still have questions, please don't hesitate to contact your local delegate or the Division office at nswbus@rtbu-nsw.asn.au. 

Thanks again for your essential work during a time of crisis.

Once again, stay safe.

In solidarity, 

David Babineau and Daniel Jaggers