Johor bahru: Private employee Saiful Umar, 37, was among the thousands of Malaysians affected by the sudden strike by some 100 Malaysian bus drivers operating to Singapore at the Sultan Iskandar Building (BSI), early this morning. "I was shocked, there was no information at all (on a strike)," he lamented.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, passengers who arrived as early as 5 am were shocked to find a halt in the bus services due to the strike, and some passengers had no choice but to walk one to two kilometres across the Johor Causeway to get to their workplaces in the island republic. Saiful mentioned that he himself had to walk almost two kilometres, including from the checkpoint to his workplace in Woodlands, before taking a ride with a friend back to Tampoi due to concerns of encountering the same situation again.
A video recording went viral on social media showing the crowded situation at the BSI at 5.30 am, believed to be caused by disruptions to bus services following the strike. Local media reported that the strike was believed to be caused by dissatisfaction among bus drivers over adjustments to their salary structure as well as allowance cuts, which allegedly affected their income.
Another passenger, K. Ramesh, 40, expressed his disappointment with the situation, which he said was making it difficult for workers who had no other transportation options. He hoped the bus company would address and solve the issue promptly, emphasizing the impact on daily routines and careers.
A bus driver, known as Atoi, 35, claimed that about 100 drivers had decided to launch a strike starting at 5 am today in protest against the new salary adjustment by the employer. He noted that Malaysian bus drivers ferrying passengers into Singapore previously received salaries of between RM2,800 and RM2,900 a month, but after the adjustment, the amount reportedly decreased to less than RM2,000.
A survey by BERNAMA around the Johor Causeway at 6.30 pm today found that bus operations were back to normal, and no Malaysians were seen walking across the Causeway following this morning's incident. Meanwhile, Johor Public Works, Transport, Infrastructure and Communications Committee chairman Mohamad Fazli Mohamad Salleh confirmed the incident had occurred at the BSI early this morning. He mentioned a visit to BSI with the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) and public bus operators to monitor the operations of the counters and bus services.