METRO has cancelled buses all day Wednesday and on Thursday morning and will not pay drivers as the battle over wage demands escalates.
Metro chief executive officer Heather Haselgrove said services around the state had been called off on Wednesday and on Thursday morning because stop-work meetings by drivers would affect too many travellers.
Ms Haselgrove said drivers would not be paid on those days.
Unions described the move as "disgusting", saying afternoon and peak hour services could still have gone ahead.
Rail, Tram and Bus Union Tasmanian secretary Samantha Simonetis said drivers had had a "gutful".
"Drivers would have been back on the road by 3.30," she said.
"I think Metro is portraying the public as stupid."
She said many drivers felt so angry they would not want to turn up after the stoppages, and that further action was possible.
She said Sustainable Transport Minister Nick McKim "needs to come to the table".
But Ms Haselgrove said Metro had no choice but to cancel services on those days next week.
"After examining the very long list of services that would be disrupted, it became clear we could not provide passengers with any certainty next Wednesday," she said.
"[It] raised the real risk of students being either stranded for hours waiting for a bus in the morning or stranded after school and that is simply untenable."
She said services would have been affected for more than six hours.
Drivers will hold stop-work meetings on Wednesday from 7.30 to 8.30am and 2 to 3pm.
On Thursday, services until 8.45am are cancelled and disruption expected until 9.45am.
Bus drivers want a 3per cent pay rise but Metro has lifted its offer only from 2 per cent to 2.1 per cent.
Unions Tasmania secretary Kevin Harkins said Metro's cancellation was malicious and irresponsible.
"The stop-work meetings arranged by drivers would have had minimal effect on the travelling public," Mr Harkins said.
He said Mr McKim's support of management had "strengthened the company's arm".
Mr McKim said he had not directed Metro and that it was a matter between Metro and the union.
"I sympathise with Metro's customers who are no doubt becoming increasingly frustrated with ongoing disruptions," he said.
"I think the public would rather see both parties negotiating a solution to this matter than ongoing disruption to timetables."
Tasmanian Young Labor president Adam Clarke condemned Metro's "extreme action".
"The pay offer is clearly not adequate. It will be extremely unlikely that other state sector workers will continue to stick to a 2 per cent wages offer when their industrial agreements come up for negotiation in the near future."
"It's time for Minister McKim to condemn the actions of Metro management and call for both parties to the dispute to return to the bargaining table in good faith."
michelle.paine@news.com.au
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