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UNIONS WILL BALLOT members who work as Bus Éireann school bus drivers for industrial action because of the threat to their jobs due to the stand-off between workers and management.
Siptu Sector Organiser, Willie Noone, said:
“Today, the Siptu National School Bus Drivers Committee decided to commence the process of balloting its members for industrial and strike action in sympathy and support of their colleagues in Bus Éireann.
“Although they are employees of Bus Éireann these workers have to date not been party to the ongoing dispute at the company.
However, it is now known that their livelihoods will also be adversely affected in the circumstances that their employer is not able to continue trading.
This leaves our members with no other option but to consider industrial action to protect their jobs and the services they provide.
The ballot for industrial action by Siptu members employed as Bus Éireann school bus drivers is scheduled to be completed by 21 April.
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This is great news. Private operators will fill the void and prove how worthless BE are.
@Barry Davidson: Barry is so lost he actually thinks he is going the right way.
@Barry Davidson: they don’t take free travel passes :-D
As far as I know they do take free travel passes, certainly those of pensioners.
@Barry Davidson: the private operators are paid by the government. .. more subsidising. ..more cost for the taxpayer…they do not take bus passes. .. have you thought of the elderly who rely on public transport
@Ciaran De Bhal: no they do not. .. they process the private customer to make their profit
@Hello there friend: Private operators do take Bus passes
A local private operator running buses to Dublin accept my Dads buss pass regularly.
Some private operators take bus passes, some don’t.
Ah yes…Trotsky union logic…let’s make the kids lives miserable to protect our inflated wages and being paid 9.5 hours for 5.5 hours work. They are an absolute disgrace on this land.
@Fred Jensen:
Our state has no problem blighting children’s lives to pay off bondholders. Or firing families and children on to the street to enrich vulture funds. While the Bus Eireann workers are striking to protect public transport for everyone including children. Solidarity with the workers.
@Barney Mooney: Solidarity with the workers says the unemployable fool. You could try stand up Wally. Your feckin’ hilarious.
@Séa Graham: where have you been for the last 8 days. .. without public transport your future pass on bus and rail is in jeopardy… wally
@Séa Graham: You know as little about me as you do about the the nature of the system that exploits you. But keep reading if you don’t wish to wallow in ignorance forever.
@Fred Jensen: Nothing worse than reading something that someone has no idea what there talking about drivers starts driving at 6:30 gets his break at 11:00 comes back at 12:00 finishing at 15:30 hum something doesn’t add up wonder what.
I’m sure the kids will support them fully.
@Tommy Bannon: and the teachers for the extra holidays
@B9xiRspG: teachers don’t get extra holidays. . Their contact is for 183 days and wages spread out over the 12 months. … TO PREVENT THEM SIGNING ON… OTHERWISE WOULD COST GOVERNMENT MORE…
@Alice Madden: so teachers are paid how much per day? Principle of a school gets 80k for 183 days (I presume that includes weekends as everyone with a. It also job works 220 days and they don’t have 6 months off so let’s reduce that to 26 weeks by 5 days.. 130 days)
80,000/130 = 615 per day, which when extrapolated out for the other 90 days the rest of us have to work means principals are being paid the equivalent salary of over 135k
Seriously – you’re defending that?
@justanothertaxpayer: don’t be stupid they start on €28 k a year and like all other jobs the longer you are in it the more you earn .. the weekends are also working days as they have to attend out of hour school events through the year… they are after all professionals and DO have college degrees… they are also pay the same tax band as a surgeon, lawyer etc… I think you need a maths lesson wherever you got those figures from… also who wants to be on a school tour or a weekend away with 60 kids… ye private sector would be looking for over time…
@Alice Madden: You do not earn more the longer your in as in you put it. You might in the civil and public service but in the real world where you actually have to justify your existence longevity of service guarantees you nothing.
Before we get on to bashing unions, let me say this. Of course sometimes, some unions are too militant, but be careful what you wish for. In certain sectors it’s becoming a race to the bottom.
Bogus self employed contracts, zero hour contracts etc.
Paid when you work, no pay when you’re sick, no job security.
It’s time we decide what type of a society we want. Do we want some rights in life or is it a race to the bottom? You might be next.
We need some balance.
Well the private school bus companies are not being paid at the moment….Also they can’t pass pockets to get their invoices into CIE….They are really part of the strike regardless of their wishes….
Its unions taking the mickey is why people are losing respect. There was a time I would never cross a picket but I’d jump on a bus today if I had to pass ten pickets.
@Tom Burke: the unions have a responsibility to act responsibly when they can have such a detrimental affect on people lives. They haven’t done that, if people turn against them it’s their own fault.
@jane:
It’s management who have run the company into the ground.
Why haven’t they been sacked?
@jane: don’t disagree. I’m just saying we need balance.
How about zero hour contracts at Dunnes? Why do people still shop there?
@Tommy Bannon: expressway can’t compete and should be run down. It seems BE management decided not to apply for licenses when issued. Not sure why you think we all should bail out that problem. Anyway this is about keeping overtime perhaps and bad practices
@Tom Burke: dunnes haven’t got zero hour contracts. Minimum contract is 15. Another lie from tom Burke.
@Alan Brogan: I’m not even going to argue. Just google Dunnes zero hour contracts.
Pages of the stuff come up.
You are wrong again
@Tom Burke: tom, mandate got 15 hour contract guaranteed in 1997. Facts and you are sworn enemies it seems.
@Tom Burke: Some people actually prefer the idea of being self employed, I did it for thirty years and it was great to not have managers or unions telling me what to do. You have to remember that we are not sheep to be told how to live our lives. Life is about making choices and using your own initiative if you really want to get anywhere.
@Chris Kirk: it depends what your remuneration is. If you’re in IT charging €100 / hour and making loads of deduction against tax, great.
Not if you’re working in a supermarket and being told, go home today, we don’t need you.
Bollix. The company management would love to and have tried to introduce more efficiency but the unions won’t play ball. Ever.
@Tom Burke: Because of the 20% off your shopping vouchers. Classic carrot and stick.
@Ciaran De Bhal: tell that to the driver on €32k and compare that to management on €150 k CORRUPT MANAGEMENT. … SUPPORT THE DRIVERS
@Alice Madden: management of BE are on 150k? All of them?
You are absolutely right … seems everyone is on the gravy train, not just the drivers. Time to shut it down.
Again bollix. The management deserve their pay having to deal with the like of this shite and deserve their salaries. The 32k p.a. Drivers don’t have to bother their arses managing.
@justanothertaxpayer: Shane Ross …get off this board …hiding behind …JUST ANOTHER TAX PAYER!!!! SHAME ON YOU
@john Appleseed: You could pass the picket and jump on the bus but it won’t be going anywhere!
SIPTU is having ballots these days the way The Journal is having polls; for the craic and completely unconstructive. Regardless of the outcome of this ballot, the drivers are not winning over the public which is the single.most important element in strikes. Enough damage done time to put an end to this shower and make public transport more efficient and reliable
@Tommy Chen: They don’t give a damn what the public think. Never have, never will
@Tommy Chen: Tesco workers need public support to be successful in their dispute. In this case while public support is welcome it’s not necessary for victory as the Luas drivers showed.
So let me get this straight…they realise their livelihoods will be impacted if BE goes bust, so they reckon the best way to protect their jobs is to go on strike? That’s SIPTU logic for you. Willie Noone gets paid either way.
@Pseud O’Nym: BE will go bust when the state decides it will go bust. This is as much an ideological struggle as it is an industrial relations dispute.
Absolutely ridiculous stopping kids from getting to school. Greed, pure greed.
@Laura Walsh: Indeed the education sector has been cut to the bone over the past decade to help pay for the banker’s debts. And public transport of course which is why we’re in the present position.
@Barney Mooney: all the teachers cars outside my local national school are 2016
@Finbarr Dowling: That’s usually because their other half has a decent income. My wife is a primary teacher and the chief breadwinner. She currently drives an 11 year old banger
It always amuses me how everybody thinks everybody else is overpaid, but not themselves of course.
@Tom Burke: I work minimum wage and have done for 5 years despite earning qualifications required by my industry. Few jobs cone up either, so changing isn’t very easy. Many of these drivers easily earn twice what I do. I live alone. A taxi to work would cost €30 per day, so I really don’t feel bad when I hear about their wages being cut due to reduced overtime.
@Mirabelle Stonegate: do realise that the private buses will not take all pass holders including those with special need.. they may be obliged to take pass holders but I have seen dublin coach put pass holders to the side while they process the fee paying passenger first… you want to face that as a pensioner … didn’t think so.. SUPPORT YOUR BE DRIVER
@Alice Madden: f##k BE driver’s
@Micky: don’t worry, hard luck about your BE aptitude test.. better luck next time
@Alice Madden: sorry never tried or never would apply to BE, have friends who have been serving parts of Donegal on bus routes for the last 20 years which have never seen a BE bus, but they’ll never let their customer’s down, and they don’t get paid the over time. The sooner BE is done away with the better.
Ah yes. These workers haven’t been involved to date but let’s drag them in anyway so we can cause maximum pain to the public who pay our wages. Only a union could come up with that logic. As if they didn’t lose a large portion of what little support they had with the illegal actions today. Fire them all and sell the busses to private sector who will do a better job at lower cost
@Peter Gavin: are you for real. .. the private sector does not service the towns as BE do. .. therefore inevitably the private buses would lose money. .. hence the reason it takes 2 hrs to get to dublin from limerick via Dublin coach. .. they have no obligation to serve these towns. ..give those routes to the private crowd with €6!!@ towards a pass and then you’d see BE profits rise. . BE MANAGEMENT ARE TOTALLY CORRUPT. … TREAT YOUR GROUND FORCE CORRECTLY
@Alice Madden: corrupt or incompetent? BE have to work within the licenses they applied for and were granted.
@Peter Gavin: The Dept of Education pay the wages of the school bus drivers from BE.
This is just a bogus claim and an effort at blackmail
@lavbeer: read up on the private sector bus drivers and you won seed they have no rights and dreadful working conditions. .. MAYBE YOU SHOULD READ A LITTLE MORE BEFORE COMMENTING
Because the UNIONS are LOSING!!! Another week or two and BE will be no more. SIPTU will follow. W@n£ers.
@Larry Fitzwell: True Larry, and hopefully it won’t take two weeks. This morning’s stunt just showed how desperate they are, they’ve really lost a lot of support Today.
@Larry Fitzwell: You are probably right, as it is SIPTU is an arm of the Labour party and we know how far they have fallen from favour and still stuck in Frankfurt.
I have already paid up front for my kids to be taken to school. BE have already let me down because of a snow day. If they let me down again I’ll consider it a breach of contract will be looking for compensation. I be only too delighted to have them in the small claims court. Sick of them at this stage.
How low will these people go. If they are looking for public support they are going all the wrong ways of getting it. The only reason that they would look for this support is to try to pressure the government into action which as everyone knows by now will work. The NBRU is showing itself to be a dirty tattics organisation. SHAME ON YOU NBRU for going after school kids to get your way.
@Gerard Ryan: Read the article before considering making a reply …Shame on You.
@ballbreaker: do you really believe that thu unions
@ballbreaker: do you really believe the unions didn’t know about the stunt this morning? The public face will say no of course as they would be sued for damages.
@ballbreaker: I have read and listened to enough in the last two weeks to know as much as anyone that this is not on.
NoOne will be getting more desperate now agitating to bring everyone and anyone out.
Of course his monthly cheque is secure
Notice how there’s no public outcry about the muppets in the Dail getting their pay rise tomorrow, but the country is losing its head over bus drivers asking for their wages not to be cut. The countries priorities are up its ass.
@Trevor Beale: all CS and social goes up tomorrow?
@Trevor Beale: wages aren’t being cut.
@Alan Brogan: Alan, BE want to lower their cost base so no doubt whatever initial cuts take place wages will definitely be part of it. The issue is the company is top heavy with management, not bus drivers.
@Trevor Beale: have to agree to part of your point, but the main point is cutting overtime/Sunday payments.
@Trevor Beale: BE have offered a 2% increase in wages actually. It’s overtime they wish to cut through more efficient scheduling
@justanothertaxpayer: and what we don’t know is how much OT they are on due to inefficient scheduling. If the base is nearly 50 and it’s 20% which I have seen a few times that is 60 a year plus health care ?
I think they actually want to lose support.
For sake…….how will these precious kids go to school if school bus drivers are forced to join the strike? Behaviour of Bus Eireann drivers are giving bad example to younger and deserve to be sacked!
So school bus drivers are considering going on strike to protect the jobs they would lose if the company goes to the wall. Yet everyday that the strike lasts makes it more likely that the company goes. I really hope they lose their jobs.
Can I ballot the public to picket the SIPTU and NBRU offices? Show them what it’s like!
Private contractors do the bulk of the school work for Bus Eireann. As they now can’t get paid because of the strike, will they start charging children who hold Bus Eireann school travel passes.
Haha, the company wont exist by 21 April!
@Paul: with any luck, but I can’t see the government letting them go to the wall. We the tax payers courtesy of our weak government will bail BE out yet.
@mickmc: and what about the banks. … billions given to them. .. don’t forget p sector worker’s suffered 9 yrs ago to save the laborers. .. do any should they gave a 30% pay cut .do the maths you would be striking too
@Alice Madden: cone on explain the 30% comment.
@lavbeer: you must be the one who failed the BE aptitude test … are you here only to annoy people or have you actually just heard about the strike this morning
Tossers
Micmac,they already let you down because of a snow day,I will be looking for compensation,thats why they let you down on the snow day,a little slide Of The road and people like you would be claiming.Its people like youthat have insurance thru the roof.
@Sean South: Compensation for breach of contract. Did you read the comment. Your making a few grave assumptions even for this publication.
@mickmc: compensation for breach of contract,so you would have no problem letting your kids board a bus on a snow day?No safety worries,you should be reported to the H.S.E.
@Sean South: can you remember any snow days this winter? There was none but that didn’t the bus driver declaring one because he could be bothered going to work.
@mickmc: Those school bus drivers do a excellent job.I would be surprised if he made up that as a excuse for a day off.If I had the same opinion as you regarding bus driver/bus eireann I would be looking for some other way off getting my kids to school.Maybe you should try driving a bus load of kids to school,see how you get on,dont know what there getting paid but they deserve every penny…
@Sean South: Well perhaps if the service is cut and our contract is broken by BE there is a fair possibility I will not pay for the service next year. Incidentally I’d be well fit to drive a school bus. Many years ago in a previous job I drove for a private coach operator. There would be days our duties would involve doing school run. The most challenging part of the work would be perhaps I didn’t know exactly the route but that wasn’t a big deal. There was always some kids who’d be happy to show you the way.
@mickmc: so I take it being a private divert you must have failed the BE aptitude test. …. now now now . Dublin coach are we
@Alice Madden: I honest have no idea what you are talking about. Must be some Busman lingo. As I said I’m a long time out of the business so if you want to reply you may speak in normal English.
Oh now come on. Every body is joining in on this bandwagon. I learned in my school days that bus eireann can’t be trusted. The drivers picked any reason not to do the run! One time our regular driver refused to drive us for 1 week. a private company would collect us at school at 5pm! On the friday of that week I went to the bus station and confronted him at luchtime. After getting nowhere with him. I reported this issue with my school principal. Who then contacted the vec. Who in turn contacted bus eireann regarding the driver in question. I did this because I knew in order to fight him I would need big people in my corner. The next week wasn’t much of a problem as there was a regular change of driver. During that week my principal was reporting to me the back and forth between the school and bus eireann. The stuff they were saying was unreal and changing every time. Like someone did this. Or this happend on that day. After 2 weeks the driver was back doing the run after my principal and at that stage the department of education put the screws on bus eireann!
Awful news for school students like myself. Orals for the leaving certificate next week, 40% worth. This would be so unfortunate for the future of Ireland to be cutting them off the chance to do well in these exams.
If they do say goodbye to any support from Joe and Jane public.
Bus Eireann management should set an example with a sizeable pay cut first, lets see how serious they are about saving the company.
Don’t get me wrong I’m not for one second taking the union or drivers side on this, they are pathetic pulling that stunt this morning. However, seems like it’s always the doers these companies go after first.
Thay should people just don’t understand the drivers don’t want more money .thay just want to keep their Jobs….
@Derek Moean: they wanted a 20% around 8 weeks ago….now they wont allow overtime be stopped!
Not about keeping jobs at all….
Disgusting, these unions cannot be allowed to destroy children’s education
@Stephen Kearon: there won’t be. Either way. And it’s your party who were in power when the tough decisions were deferred under the Bert
So the unions are now reduced to picking on children in their dirty tricks campaign. Classy people
Here’s hoping BE go under make redundant all these greedy thugs, unions are a disgrace they had a hand in what happened today for sure. The wages these guys are on is disgusting and completely unsustainable. Government should be aiming for complete privatisation smaller bus companies do a better job at a much lower sustainable cost. We should stop using taxpayers money to prop up DB, BE and IR and invest in transport infrastructure let private companies handle the day to day.
@Bhiniáimin Ó Beith: really … think of your own future here… privatisation means higher costs. .. lower wages. …. less routes and they will not collect Johnny if not on a direct route… hey let’s put bus stops on the motorways to help the private buses who don’t give a fiddlers about the elderly with passes. Make then stand to the side while they fill the bus first with PAYING passengers… what kind of a service is that. .. SAVE OuR PUBLIC TRANSPORT JOIN THEIR STRIKE
@Fred Jensen: bus eireann are not treating its drivers correctly.and that WALLY of a minister is as corrupt as the management in BE
@Alice Madden: HEY – we already have a wally here and I am kind of fond of his rants so don’t tar him with some sort of capitalist association. He wouldn’t like that and you would get spammed
Here is a novel idea. why not have a strike that does not effect anybody ? More or less on a par with the minister for transport. You know the one who thinks public transport is none of his business !
Mickmc,they have already let you down with a snow day,i will be looking for compensation,thats why they let you down,a little slide off the road and people like you would be claiming.Put a bit of thought into what your saying..safety comes first.
By letting the problem increase to this point, Shane Ross has become the worst minister for transport in the history of the State (Not to mention his disregard for the constitutional principle of cabinet collective responsibility when it came to abortion legislation).
It would be very interesting if BE were to issue the figures for providing school transport. I for one can’t believe that it makes a profit. A simple example. if only one child needs transport to attend an exam during Junior or Leaving cert. the bus still runs !
@Micky: that’s because the owner of the private service won’t pay correct wages… driver had no choice as the owner has the licence from BE and subsidies… so there you go the owner gets richer… what’s fair about that.. there’s a difference between a wage and a salary
School services will be affected as the drivers have to hand their sheets in for payment. They cant post them cause postmen wont pass picket. These private operators have to pay their staff !
@Micky: you must be the one who failed the BE aptitude test language LANGUAGE
Typical Union low-balling techniques.
Tender out the contract for all services and but in conditions that are needed , like free travel permits , routes that are non profitable and let them claim the subs from the government and stipulate the number of routes to be operated and wages conditions for employees !
have your say