JOHOR BARU: An early morning strike by bus drivers ferrying passengers across the Causeway led to disruptions at Bangunan Sultan Iskandar (BSI) on Monday (July 21).
State works, transportation, infrastructure, and communication committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh confirmed that the strike involved drivers from a local bus company and took place around 6.30am.
The drivers refused to transport passengers into Singapore, but the strike concluded by 8am.
"During the strike, to ensure that travellers could continue their journey into the island republic, we arranged for other buses to transport passengers," Fazli said.
However, he acknowledged that some travellers opted to walk across the Causeway into Singapore.
The exact number of people walking or drivers involved in the strike remains unknown.
Fazli, who is also the Bukit Pasir assemblyman, stated that the bus company and driver representatives have been urged to resolve their issues.
The state government has received assurances that such disruptions will not recur.
"God willing, there will not be any disruption to the bus service operation within BSI," he added.
It is understood that the drivers' protest was allegedly due to a wage cut imposed by the company, causing dissatisfaction among employees.
The bus company serves thousands of daily commuters using public transport to travel between Malaysia and Singapore across the Causeway.
