THE Common Entrance Exam was one of the main reasons public service vehicle (PSV) operators decided against going on strike yesterday.
Alliance Owners of Public Transport (AOPT) public relations officer Mark Haynes said they had considered taking action following a fight between a police officer and conductor last week, a video of which went viral on social media.
The head of AOPT, Roy Raphael, Haynes and National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) general secretary Roslyn Smith toured the River Van Stand in The City yesterday to hear first-hand the concerns of PSV workers.
“When we came here to do the tour, we realised there was a lot of acrimony and there was a lot of tension,” Haynes told the media after the tour.
“We sought to defuse that and we urged the workers not to put down their vehicles. They were adamant they were doing that. We took into consideration two things: that the schoolchildren would have the 11-Plus, which takes place today [yesterday], and the upcoming elections, which take place on the 24th,” he added.
Haynes said that the alliance felt it would be wrong to impact children who were trying to get an education, but stressed the operators were still contemplating strike action. (AD)
Read more in the Midweek Nation
