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STAFF AT BUS Éireann began their all out strike today and workers fear that the company could close forever unless the dispute is resolved soon.
Picket lines were set up across depots nationwide with many drivers and engineers left frustrated that management implemented a number of changes to their working conditions without union approval.
Staff at the Broadstone depot in Dublin city were in high spirits but the overwhelming feeling was that they’d rather be working.
Management at Bus Éireann say that the company needs to implement severe cuts if it’s to survive as a company – that includes pay cuts, overtime cuts and changes to bus routes.
Unions representing workers at Bus Éireann aren’t happy with the measures proposed by management to save the company. Although they accept that ‘efficiency changes’ must be made, they say that the proposed changes disproportionately affect drivers.
After months of negotiations, including a bout at the Workplace Relations Commission, efforts at finding a resolution between the two sides collapsed – leading to management implementing their plan without the unions’ backing, and resulting in an indefinite nationwide strike by the unions.
Gerry Hudson and Eamon McGann have 48 years experience at the company between them. They are of the opinion that workers were forced into this position, citing that they have not received an increase in pay in nine years. Like many workers, they are struggling to make ends meet and have children to feed.
Hudson said: “I don’t want to be out here. I want to be driving the bus. This seems to be an attack on trade unions. It’s a very sad day. If the company was to go, I’d have to go on social welfare.
Most of us at this stage would be in similar situations. I’ve no other choices in life. It’s all I know how to do. At the end of the day, you can’t work for nothing.
The workers are aware that there are other state bodies which are suffering currently but they believe the Bus Éireann service provides a community service and they fear this could be wiped out if the company was to go under.
‘Rural Ireland is in trouble’
McGann added: “There are a lot of older people who would live in rural parts of the country who rely on the service. It keeps them active. It allows them to be able to be social. But the private firms won’t touch these routes because there is no money to be made from them. Rural Ireland is in trouble if Bus Éireann goes.”
The workers are “in it for the long haul”, according to McGann, who says he can’t see the dispute being resolved soon. He believes that the workers are clinging to what they have.
“Nobody wants to be out on a strike but we were left with no choice. We were pushed against the wall. It’s a race to the bottom. The company is in trouble. We know that.We have to fight for each other. It could be a case that Bus Éireann goes. That’s becoming more likely every day that goes by. That would be a very sad day. We want to work but we also have to be able to live.”
The state-owned transport company is facing financial difficulty, with losses last year reaching almost €10 million. It says changes to employees’ contracts are needed in order to keep the company viable. These include job losses, changes to bus routes, cuts in overtime and a range of other measures.
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I wonder if someone did take him out 30 years ago, would Zimbabwe be the basket case he turned it into, or would some other “leader”, equally malingnant have just taken his place.
It’s tempting to write Africa off, but these things are not inevitable. The neighbours in Botswana were a landlocked, diamond rich former colony. Not an obvious candidate for success. And yet they were, partly because of Seretse Khama’s leadership, but also because people kept voting for him.
Unfortunately, for every relative success story there are 50 failed states. Nation building is hard and requires guts, enterprise, selflessness and vision. Mugabe wasn’t even asked to nation build. He was handed a fully functioning, very rich and successful country and managed to level it in less than a generation. That takes mean spiritness, stupidity, and the most crass selfishness and myopic vision, which, unfortunately, seems to be the calibre of most African leaders. Take and destroy is what they do and in the meantime, the west continues to do what the west does best. Assuage our feelings of western guilt by feeding, clothing and vaccinating the Africans left behind by their very own “leaders”.
We can write much of Africa off if the Chinese economy falters, And also, we can take Australia with it.
Problem with africa is its full of africans
“Unfortunate event”
In who’s eyes ????
Funny that at Mandela’s memorial when the camera would go to different world leaders the crowd would cheer or boo depending on who it was on. Mugabe got a massive cheer and Bush Jnr got a massive boo. Ya no your screwed when Mugabe gets a bigger cheer than ya!
It was an ANC crowd at the funeral & Mugabe was a big supporter if the ANC during apartheid times so I’d be sure that’s why he was cheered rather than for his recent policies.
That says a lot more about the crowd than it does about Bush Jr.
Whatever you can accuse Bush Jr. of, laying waste to his country, starving his people, killing the productive farmers and having an ugly greedy, mean wife isnt among them. An ANC crowd can turn into a vicious mob at the turn of a hair. Being rational abd discerning is not their thing.
Hurricane Katrina anyone? ;)
Sadly, probably the latter.
Problem with Africa is the tribal government system, and the mentality of it’s people.
@coom
Same could be said for a lot of countries..including ours!
Christina who wrote that paper? Dept of the Taoiseach?
While it is true that Robert Mugabe has a few character flaws, it cannot be denied that he is an active leader who stands up for his people. Much better than the shower we have running this country, he is. You can bet Robert Mugabe would have burned the bondholders and sent the IMF home with a flea in their ear.
Pity he didn’t have a fatal “accident” here.
Proably after totruring them first…Thing is we can elect another incompetant shower to govern us.Mugabe is there forever like a big black blood sucking tick on Zimbabwae.But then thats what happens if you let Marxist gun waving loons loose on a perfectly functioning and producing ,albeit not without is fault state.Turn it into a dictatorship that makes the previous oppression by whomever look like paradise.
have your say