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Updated: 21.10
UNIONS HAVE MET with TDs and senators to discuss the looming crisis at Bus Éireann.
In a statement this evening, Siptu said they attended meetings with politicians and the Labour Court to discuss the situation “following threats by management to implement massive cut backs at the public transport company”.
SIPTU organiser, Willie Noone, said the union’s meeting with the Labour Court “did not involve any engagement with the proposals” but said representatives engaged with the court to assist its investigation into why the company has requested its intervention at this stage.
Meanwhile, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) criticised comments made by the company chief around the potential loss of 2,600 jobs at the company.
Dermot O’Leary, general secretary of the NBRU, said that talk over mass job losses at the State-owned travel service represented a “threat” to workers.
“We see it as a threat rather than a warning,” O’Leary told TheJournal.ie.
“And threats to workers are usually met with action. Obviously that will come in the form of industrial action.”
Last week Bus Éireann workers and unions rejected a plan presented to them by management around making savings at the company.
Measures in the plan would include moving workers around the company, cuts to premium pay rates and potential job losses.
The unions representing the workers – which include Siptu, the NBRU and Unite – are due to meet Thursday where they will discuss what action to take. Industrial action is a possibility.
Company CEO Ray Hernan is due to appear before the Oireachtas Transport Committee tomorrow to discuss the matter.
In his submission – seen by RTÉ News - Hernan that the 2,600 workers of Bus Éireann could lose their jobs if losses at the company are not shored up.
RTÉ reports that Hernan said that the company’s financial situation is “critical”. He states that losses at the company for last year could reach €9 million.
“This is not scaremongering: this is the stark reality of what this organisation now faces,” Hernan states.
He also denies that management is targeting workers to fix the company’s financial troubles.
The unions rejected an invitation to meet with Bus Éireann executives today to discuss the proposals.
Dermot O’Leary said that unions have already been given a mandate for industrial action when they balloted their members last month.
O’Leary said that unions would be lobbying TDs today to intervene in the dispute.
He called for all the concerned parties in the dispute to come together for a multi-stakeholder meeting in order to discuss the future of the company.
This meeting would include representatives from the National Transport Authority and the Irish Government.
“All the concerned parties need to meet,” said O’Leary.
Raiding bus workers’ wages in not a tenable or sustainable solutions and will not be accepted.
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Yeah, industrial action is what’s just needed at this time.
No, what’s probably needed is a really good look at the upper management and their ability to run the company to be reliable and profitable. In the meantime it’ll be the workers problem and they’ll probably left with no option but to strike. Seems to be the way.
That real time thing is a disaster, find whoever is in charge of implementing/updating that and get rid of them. I’m sure the abuse the drivers cop for that is hard to deal with.
“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital.” Noam Chomsky
Our neoliberal state is attempting to privatize the public transport system exactly as they did with communications, energy, waste collection etc etc. Bus Eireann has been deliberately undermined over many years with the private operators gifted the busy profitable routes between urban centers and big towns driving of course on the state constructed motorway network while BE serves the social service loss making runs to small towns, villages and rural areas.
The notion of running the public transport system on a for profit basis is puerile nonsense. Ditto for other critical public services like health and education. Solidarity with the Bus Eireann workers and all workers struggling to obtain a greater share of the wealth which they create.
Shane Ross …. AKA The minister of I’m not getting involved in this …. Assho!e
Spot on Linda. If you look at both boards of management. The majority of members are on both Iarnrod eireann and Bus Eireann boards. Which explains alot when it comes to the poor management, running and development of both services or lack there of.
Patches? You mean Wally/Benjy/Conor?
You will have to alter your standard greeting to “Hiya Patches”
True David!
Ahem…
“Hiya Patches,
Good to see you back in the saddle. Me? Ah I’ve just been abusing my employees by taking the excess of their labour and whatnot and investing in the slave trade in Malaysia.
Actually ran a bit low on the ol’ cashola last week so just created some by pressing a few keys on the keyboard like ya do and hey presto!
Anyhoo, gotta fly – I saw a number of working class ne’r-do-wells loitering around the Beamer so gotta turn the hose on ‘em.
See ya later! “
@Colin Moran: hello colin. i’m wondering how do you manage to ignore reality?
@Nibbler
Ahmmm, I dunno…Jack Daniels and Jesus?
Well…. at least one of those is real.
What is the point of meeting TDs and Senators they have not got a clue as to running a bus.It is a meeting with the failed management of the company that is needed.Start looking at their policies the waste of money on fancy coaches and start with a good basic wage and not be depending on overtime to bring up their wages
Do unions ever have anything to offer apart from demands for more pay and threats of strike action? Of course being constructive and working to find a solution that saves the most jobs is probably too much like hard work
Peter after 9 years of a pay freeze and 2 cost reduction programs a 25% pay cut is not acceptable at all.
Government/NTA to blame!!
@Peter Gavin: why is there unions peter? ever think about that?
So there response to the company that they work work for losing lots of money is to go and lose the company even more money? Makes sense.
Unions have this country driven into the ground. Enough is enough!!
@Mark McGarry: Not that massive bank bailout then, no?
Company is losing money by paying drivers 30% over the odds
Can you please explain your comment ? Do you know their pay rates ? And what would be a suitable pay for drivers who are away from their families 10-12 hrs a day, up at 4 am some days and driving through the night other days all while being the face of BÉ and taking the flack from passengers for BÉ’s failures?
My post was for your comment
@Anthony O’Reardon:
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/transport-and-tourism/private-bus-operators-pay-lower-wages-than-bus-%C3%A9ireann-1.2802281
^ Breakdown of most of the big coach company’s average salaries.
1.3 million people with free bus passes. That is all. The single reason why it’s not working.
Really! Do you have the stats to back that up? I thought only the elderly and disabled could get free passes.
That is correct. There was an article on it yesterday. 1.3 million with free bus passes. A Cork td said yesterday that if everyone with a free pass paid 6e annual contribution which Is a tiny amount for free travel it would solve bis eireanns deficit. Put it this way, it’s not just elderly, drug addicts are issued passes to travel to their clinics, unemployed to get to interviews etc.. the tds suggestion was common sense
Dublin coach and Kavanagh coaches do a much better job.
@Anthony Power: There are other reasons, like buses not keeping to the scheduled timetables because of poor route planning and extra fuel costs.
Is that the same Dublin Coach thst is losing €1.6 million per year??
Government/NTA transport policy has failed
Yes really its 1.3 million.
The money for FT is from the DSP budget not CIE so abolishing it won’t save CIE much more than a small fare revenue rise from former FT pass holders taking essential only journeys
BE staff don’t wanna face up to the far more complex reality that their company and CIE overall is badly managed and teeming with corrupt use of its finances by inspector level staff up, I happen to know this from former drivers in there
It’s way easier to just go to the public with an oversimplified soloution that sounds really easy, scaring them with numbers like 1m passes counting that they won’t be aware that FT is actually amount the 2-3 cheapest welfare programs we’ve ever had and costs less than 1% of the budget.
Yes the FT scheme could use many reforms on principle alone (abolishing spousal passes, changing criteria for companion passes, taking it away from people with convictions..) but this isn’t BEs problem
They’re playing you, it’s not that simple look deeper
2600 workers may loose their jobs, There is no way anybody will loose their their job , it good old reliable Public sector, sure we”ll have chat in the local hotel with FG and to avoid unrest in the public sector there will be an arrangement, for the next two years and if the situation does not improve then serious action will have to be taken, we’ve heard it all before. Good olde Public Service,
What changes in ireland
I like the idea of charging people a small annual subscription for their travel pass €8-10 euro this would go to Bus Eireann & Irish rail anytime I’m on bus eireann at least a 1/4 of the bus is pensioners on free travel passes .
Yeah lets stop blaming the constantly-striking drivers and turn on elderly and disable passengers instead.
@neal it’s not about blaming anyone or turning on a group it’s about ensuring the survival of a business / retaining jobs and a vital service to rural Ireland.
@Mrs M: divide and conquer is the tactic of the right
I think it’s the unions that proposed pay increases for their members to be directly, and doubly, subsidised by their largest customer base (pensioners). That’s a divide to abhorrent for and politician, the lefties need to be more constructive than their usual “us side against the world, and let’s blame the employers and users for dividing the proletariat” waffle.
Nobody has a problem with a small annual fee in theory
Problem is two fold
1. It won’t help as FT isn’t causing BEs problems
2. It won’t stay at 6 you’ll blink and it will be 500. See med card charge, student contribution fee or any other time a “small charge” came in
Bus Eireann needs to get into the 21st century and plan public transport to operate to meet its scheduled timetables or fine them for being late. Start by moving Busarus out of the city centre and operate a rapid rail link into the city centre.
Spending €2000 for a hatchet man from IBEC is no way to save money!!!
How do you sleep at night Mr McCarthy???
They said Lehmans was too big to let fall…. unions get a grip, but don’t worry you will still have your nice jobs if it does go down.
Just let bus eirann drivers go on strike as long as they want. Just allow Kavanagh’s to offer the service to the travelling public.
What’s it gonna be lads? Wage rises or job losses? More money in the pocket = poorer service.
Lots of elderly don’t use their free pass. If there was a fee to get it then I suspect that the amount collected would be relatively minimal as many wouldnt be bothered
Reckless drivers. Roads should be safer now.
You’re not wrong. Some of those drivers are maniacs. I’ve been on busses where the lights turning red were the driver’s que to accelerate.
The problem is the 1.3 million free passes not the drivers
@Awkward Seal: Im sure if the driver slammed on the brakes you would be complaining that you fell over. Bus drivers have to put up with people like you every day that will never be happy which makes it a tough job. Unfortunately we see snobbery creeping into Irish culture where the opinion is that if you dont cycle into work, wear a suit and drink smoothies you should be earning 9.50 an hour. I hope there is a solution at BE where the ordinary driver can keep his/her job and keep bread on the table for their families.
I worked out earlier , that 8,000,000 / 2600 = €3070 pay cut on average per head… Safe to assume most are earning over the marginal rate, so a pay cut of E1500, big whoop given the pay and pension they will get… The poor management, ridiculous pay across the company, safe to say they have all been creaming it off for too long… This farce should be ended, they have to break even every year, end of… we are going to be discussing the same issues every few years unless this is sorted once and for all!!!
Unions have to compromise, at the moment it’s nothing but give me give me. Bus Éireann is a business and as all other businesses it has to make decisions to be /stay profitable. Unions are helping anything or anyone, especially those they’re meant to represent.
@Johnnie Sexton: how can somebody that is getting ripped off compromise? are you insane?
I notice the healy rae boys aren’t up in arms about the bus service in rural Ireland and the cute hoors above away up in dublin they must have a couple of coaches below in kerry.
” He states that losses at the company for last year could reach €9 million.” – We should have absolutely no reservations in footing Bus eireann 9 million, it plays a critical role in our public transport system, particularly for rural ireland.
That’s €9m more, and rising, every year. It’s not sustainable to keep throwing money at a service that is not improving and costs that keep rising (one of the highest paid public transport drivers in the EU). I would have no issue with more money to subsidise quality public transport, but bus éireann and BE express are poor quality, politically driven companies. Invest in more railways lines for long routes and only have bus subsidies to feed the rail network and start planning transport for where people need to go, not for where the bus company wants to take them.
@Gulliver Foyle: There was a plan created over ten years ago called ‘Transport 21′ but FG shelved it when they got into government and have since not replaced it.
It’s a pity that people think the business of government is to run business’ for the people.
Jez, RTE lost €20mn last year and they are still going.and they pay serious top wages.
Ireland has the lowest subvention in our public transport services in europe. The dept of social protection hasnt been paying its bills
As an outsider it looks to me that this company has been losing money hand over fist. Surely they have known this for a long time . What do the workers expect – that the tax payer will plug the hole ?? Cost cutting is inevitable. It’s not sustainable . These Union “officials ” need to shag off and get a job.
Cut out the unions bleating against change and make the business stand on its own 2 feet!
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