Bus drivers end wildcat walk-out

Residents in Bazhong City, Sichuan province woke up yesterday morning, ate breakfast, left home and waited for the bus. And waited. But the buses never came.

Prompted by low pay and long working hours, the drivers had suddenly gone on strike. "Our salary is about 1,000 yuan a month," said Lu Quan, 38, one of more than 120 drivers in the Bazhong Bus Company. "It is half of what our peers make in neighboring cities." He complained about long working hours, sometimes 6 am to 10 pm.

All drivers on the morning shift took part in the wildcat strike without giving notice to the company, said Wu Lianming, an operation department manager. The strike lasted from 6:30 am to 12:10 am.