Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Shane Ross said he will not be intervening in the Dublin Bus dispute.
Last week, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) announced 13 additional days of strike action.
The next work stoppage is due to take place on 23 and 24 September.
“I’m not going to ride in on a white horse in shining armour and have a cheque book and say that’s going to solve the problem,” Ross told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport today.
That would be exactly the wrong thing to do. This dispute, as everybody knows, will be resolved.It won’t be resolved if I participate in it in a way which would make things far worse.
Minister’s intervention
Opposition parties, Sinn Féin and Fianna Fáil, have called for the minister to intervene in the dispute, which has resulted in some 400,000 people who use Dublin Bus every weekday discommoded.
“We are in the middle of a very sensitive time,” said Ross, highlighting that unions representing Bus Éireann workers today left talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.
He said he has the same message for unions as he does for management.
“I don’t want to see the management of Dublin Bus or Bus Éireann or Iarnród Eireann coming to me or assuming for one moment that the cheque book is going to open either.”
Ross said the government’s position is “quite clear”.
This has to be settled between the two parties.
Union demands
Unions are seeking a 15% pay increase over the next three years for drivers and a 6% rise they say they were due to get under an agreement in 2009, but which was deferred.
The industrial action comes about after unions rejected a Labour Court-recommended 8.25% increase over the next three years.
This week, the NBRU highlighted that the State subvention to Dublin Bus has fallen by 32.6% – or €28 million – since 2008.
The minister acknowledged that “Ireland is very low on the subvention league table”.
He said he sees this as a separate issue, but added the subvention is going to be increased next year.
I am looking for a fairly healthy increase in subvention.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Unless Leo is true to his word we can expect the middle-class worker who pays for everything and gets nothing to be screwed over yet again.
@Avina Laaf:
Unfortunately you are falling into the trap of social division which this iniquitious govt promotes. The intentions of many of those whose actions which led to the creation of this state was not to create an Ireland divided on social lines, but one of equality. Successive Governments have squandered that vision and created an Ireland based on social class divisions, the next budget will do the same if not make it even worse.
@Con Murphy:
Ironically it’s the excessive redistribution of wealth from the hard-pressed middle income worker to the welfare class that has led to division.
Hardly surprising when it’s given rise to a whole new class of working poor which supports a whole new class of ‘welfare-for-lifers’ that are almost as well off (and in some cases better off) but don’t contribute anything.
@Avina Laaf:
So you approve of the socially class divided Ireland. Good luck with that so.
@Con Murphy:
No, I just believe that ‘equality’ should also include input to society – those that work harder should get more back (including carers etc.). It’s not that hard to grasp.
@Avina Laaf: It would be great if what you want was true, that those who work harder would get back more. But they won’t, you mention carers, but many carers get nothing for what they do especially if they give up a job to care for a family member,those who work harder will be gratefully exploited by an abusive employer who might even get a tax break for their extra effort.
@Con Murphy:
That was my point
@Avina Laaf: In a way you’re right, welfare for the rich and a few crumbs for the poor. This Republic, was never one and we were just fooled into thinking it was. They should reduce, unemployment down to 180 and pass the savings back to the working poor or struggling middle classes. Set up a housing agency, transfer all local authority land/housing to it and let them borrow on that income to build more housing.
@Avina Laaf: “welfare class”? You do realise most of the welfare budget is spent on pensioners?
@Stephen Brady:
Do I have to spell it out??
Why not bring petrol down to meet diesel, why doesn’t everything go up. The government pushed us all to buy diesels and now they punish us again.
@Joshua Walsh: and in time they’ll push up all to by electric which will also turn out to be a disaster. Its the circle of squeezing everything out of the taxpayer to pay for this welfare state
It doesn’t take a genious to work that out. The politicians will get their usual pay rise of minimun of 3000 starting now. Our parents will get a 5 a week starting next year. Me the tax payer will get nothing. ESB, GAS, Phone bills, food, petrol, diesel, heating going up but then it will all have to go up so we can pay the politicians pay rise for doing nothing but exercising their mouths talking crap.
This budget will be all about LEO and LEO. The canvassing has all ready started for the election.
@Declan Byrne: We allow them, to buy our votes and stop voting for them.
Rest assured for every 5 euro they give they will take back 10 euro What shower they are all the same
That USC reduction is an insult.
To be fcuk£d sideways, i can tell you one thing I fear on how I’m going to make my next mortgage payment, as I’m completely stretched to the Limit. Mind you i was left with 23 euro in the bank last month, maybe Leo can take that before if goes for my clothes, im up every morning at 06:00 but still not sure if that’s in Leo’s guidelines
Oh yes it will be a giveaway, to FGs rich friends!
Tax tax tax tax….and don’t touch Apple
5euro a week to old age pensioners = 260euro a year for people who have worked hard all theirs lives, for fck sake!!!! Should be cutting the unbelievable pensions of his retired cronies, what a shower. The increases due to electricity etc more than cancels out that increase, so basically pensioners get sweet f all. Give with one hand and take back on the double with the other, bunch of morans.
@Michael Byrne: unfortunately, these same pensioners will always vote for FF and FG. So it’s self inflicted really.
It’s laughable what the government think the people should get..in this budget.. but there is no end to what they award themselves and nobody says a word.. !!!
Nothing expected in this budget or many more in the future.The books need balancing.Certain departments are underfunded others are understaffed.Move a bit of money here and put it back there.We may make a fiver in our wages but we’ll pay it back elsewhere.My major surprise is that sooooo many people expect something from it.Well,be prepared for nothing!
What we can expect as per usual is sfa.
Ahh the Budget!
The annual three card trick game rigged by the Govt to siphon funds from the hard working and shuffle it back to their chums, under the glare of cameras and the sycophants applaud that “it wasn’t as bad as we expected!”
Pay rises for the lads
Hopefully we’ll see a rise in the standard rate cut off point of 33.8k.
And a continued rise in the earned income tax credit so that small business owners will be treated equally.
I expect lots of meaningless slogans over anything they give us with one hand to distract us from the fine detail that takes more with the other.
USC needs to go quicker than it is, the government seems happy to keep the USC around and to give increases to the OAP’s to buy their vote and to keep the middle class paying this unfair extra tax.
we can expect a new episode of father ted
People on this comment stream are talking about working class poor being pitched against each other are we really surprised .
Working people pay for social welfare for the totally unemployable who never pay a cent and the keyboard worriers we have here are as bad
Blame everyone else and never contribute anything
SAME comment all the time
Can’t take a job, get enough on the Labour
Can’t get a job, the rent goes up
Can’t get a job, would loose the MEDICAL card
It’s not they can’t it’s they won’t !
And I’m not talking about the pensioners who worked their lives THEY deserve their money the least we can do for them .
Just the same spungers over and over again.
Go out get a job
CONTRIBUTE CONTRIBUTE CONTRIBUT
NOT TAKE TAKE TAKE .
Stop crying like little girls
That sean o rourke and RTE have already furnished the finance minister with the “questions” supposedly phoned in the morning after the budget!
A cut in VAT on novelty socks is a dead cert.
Motor Tax Equalisation …. grossly unfair anomaly should be fixed.
€280 annual Motor Tax for owners of new Mercedes C-class 2.1L
€270 annual Motor Tax for owners of new BMW 318 2L
€580 (4x€145) annual Motor Tax for owners of Pre-2008 Toyota Avensis 1.6L
€300 more tax paid for use of Irish roads by owners of older cars – grossly unfair.
@Neuville-Kepler62F: my Portuguese cars tax is €42, same vehicle in Ireland last time I looked was €701 , keep the recovery going Leo.
Get 13 billion from apple , fix the health service and get the homeless into houses, make people work that have been on the dole for ages ,the government shouldn’t go down the old reliable road of tax ,drink ,smokes ,fuel and vrt , there are slot of multi nationals in this country let them pay a fair % of tax.
Spect me to read that double talkin jive ooo A Sunday fukin morn
Under a Fine Gael led Government the middle class. retired, and vulnerable members of our society can expect to be screwed as usual.
have your say