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Update 6.15pm
MEMBERS OF THE National Bus and Rail Union have rejected the Labour Court’s cost-cutting recommendation at Bus Éireann in a ballot taken today.
An all-out strike will now go ahead from Sunday.
Of all unions, the NBRU represents the largest number of staff members at the bus company. A total of 82 per cent of the 820 voting members rejected the proposed pay cuts and changes to terms of employment.
Secretary general Michael Faherty told TheJournal.ie that there was a “resounding” vote from a high turnout of members today. He said the workers were “aware of the consequences” which he described as unfortunate.
The all-out strike action could continue for an indefinite period of time.
The NBRU represents more than 1,100 of the company’s 2,500 employees. It has had a mandate for industrial action since January.
Bus Éireann believes any strike action that takes place on Sunday will be “illegal and unofficial” as the company has not received seven days notice from the union.
Spokesperson Andrew McLindon told TheJournal.ie that any industrial action will be “very disappointing and an inconvenience for customers”.
It will also be counter-productive, he said, as it will exacerbate Bus Éireann’s already-precarious financial situation. Core wages and employment levels – which have been protected under previous proposals from the company and the Labour Court – could now be under threat.
“A strike will hand over revenues and customers to the competition,” added McLindon.
“Bus Éireann will be making every efforts to maintain services where it is safe to do so.”
Earlier, Bus Éireann warned that it needed to make savings to protect its viability. The firm lost €6 million last year and continues to drop about €500,000 every month.
Other employees who are members of SIPTU are still balloting on the Labour Court proposals. There are also a number of drivers who do not belong to any union.
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Since President Obama first became America’s president, he’s had to take to a podium 15 times to address mass killings in his own country – and still little or nothing has been done to at least try curb arms availability in the USA.
Mass murderers will always find a way to seek out their weapons of destruction but countries should always make it as hard as possible for them to do so. American legislation must do better.
Obama is a coward and could have used his executive orders, and still could, to curtail the gun lobby. There must be an election coming up and he must feel such measures would hurt Clinton, to say he didn’t.
Islam extremists don’t give a toss about any laws especially gun laws!!!! So for goodness sake let’s stop having tangential debates about peripheral issues and talk about a religion of peace which produces so many individuals and groups hellbent on the destruction of other religions and groups such as the LGBT community.
Forget the guns and talk about religion? As far as I recall the gun had the bullets which did the killing. The killer was clearly homophobic from his social media. Religion is a nice scapegoat but it doesn’t go near the real issues
I would be curious to learn just how many gun control bills have been blocked by republicans in the senate or congress since Obama became president.
If America did nothing after the Sandy Hook killings where 6 and 7 year olds were gunned down, innocent children they will never do anything about their gun laws.
Obama brought in an executive order 6 or 7 months ago, and it was watery pap. Utterly useless in actuality. He could have sorted this with the stroke of a pen.and the only way it could have been undone was through the next president repealing the order.
He’s a coward and brought in a half-assed and useless measures that will do absolutely nothing to stop a repeat of this happening in any way. . He didn’t even ban those on no-fly lists from buying weapons.
This guy makes the right noises but never the right actions. He, as president, is responsible for ensuring the safety of citizens. Buck stops with him.
Anne you’re so right…I thought Sandy Hook would have done it for America …noting will. It’s not about immigration anymore because this guy was born in America. The terrorists already live in the countries they intend to attack
“Obama is a coward and could have used his executive orders, and still could, to curtail the gun lobby. There must be an election coming up and he must feel such measures would hurt Clinton, to say he didn’t.”
Yeah, it’s all Obama’s fault, Because, you know, if he’s passed much stronger executive orders they’d have been instantly repealed by Trump and his NRA pals as soon as he was elected.
So you’re happy to make excuses for the commander in chief of the US then by saying anything he did would be undone so what’s the point? . Right so.
“So you’re happy to make excuses for the commander in chief of the US then by saying anything he did would be undone so what’s the point? . Right so.”
No, I’m happy to condemn the right-wing republican NRA nutjobs who rejected every effort by him to pass legislation to control guns in the US.
You can’t use an executive order that infringes on the rights guaranteed in the constitution…
Obama’s and indeed any US president’s hands are tied in this regard. His biggest influence and the best gun control he can hope to achieve is to replace justices on the Supreme Court with less constitutional purists. Even then it’s difficult as we’ve seen republicans fight him tooth and nail over Scalia’s replacement.
Obama has been in power for 8 years. Not the Republicans. As I’ve already explained to you. but you’re choosing to ignore entirely in Obama’s defence, he has executive powers but didn’t use them. HE is the leader of the country. If instead of paying lip service to it, he actually sorted it out, well within his political capabilities as both a law lecturer and the man with executive powers, the chances of this happening in the first place would have been markedly reduced.
You can blame the NRA all you like, but he’s the one that could have done something about it and chose not to. There’s no escaping that basic reality.
And the NRA did very well indeed out of Bill Clinton as their sales for arms to foreign shores went through the roof during his tenure.
No POTUS has the executive power to violate the constitution. Obama cannot legally mandate gun control “with the stroke of a pen.” That’s the reality of the situation.
If they didn’t change the Gun laws after Sandyhook they never will …..
Undiegrundie – would you care to make a guess as to how many gun control bills were blocked by republicans in the senate and congress in the last four years?
UndieGrundy, you remain misinformed on how executive orders are affected by the U.S. constitution, despite at leaat two people having explained it clearly to you in this thread.
Grundy, you clearly haven’t a clue how the office of the President works.
Even if it was possible (and it’s clearly not) there would be a civil war in the states if their guns were removed from them
Heard on the radio earlier that there has been 173 mass shootings in the states this year alone, and we’re not even half way through 2016. As was mentioned yesterday, if the massacre of 20 6 and 7 year olds at sandy hook didn’t change gun laws, then the debate on gun control is over.
Sobering.
There’s no hint of irony at all when moralising about gun control & innocent civilian deaths there FC?
Over 44,000 people have died by shooting in the US since Sandy Hook, three and a half years ago.
I just can’t get my head around it that someone with so much hate in their heart could target people who who have fought so hard and bravely to have their love recognised and brought into the light. I hope everyone involved can find some peace and meaning for this atrocity. even the gunman’ s family
Amen, Tess. The fact that many people are whitewashing this saying, “it’s not a homophobic crime” when it is literally the biggest homophobic attack in decades is an insult to the memories of people who ultimately died because of the bravery and pride with which they lived their lives. So tragic.
It was a homophobic crime perpetrated by a Muslim Zealot in the name of his religion. Why is that so hard to grasp ?
Did you see Sky News last night with Owen Jones? The absolute disrespect to those people who very obviously died because of who they were. As he said, “If it had been an attack on a synagogue, you’d have no problem calling it an anti-semetic attack.”
Outrageous.
“We live in a world where Christianity is demonized over cake and Islam is defended despite 50 dead at a gay club. Amazing.”
-Blaire White a transgender woman.
Twitter – @MsBlaireWhite
“We live in a world where Christianity is demonized over cake and Islam is defended despite 50 dead at a gay club. Amazing.”
We know for a fact that it was bigots using “Christianity” as an excuse. We don’t yet know exactly what was the motivation here.
Either way, not all Christians hate gay people and neither do all followers of Islam.
Religion seems to be the motivation.
Yeah…it’s just coincidental that many deeply Islamic nations hold the death penalty for homosexuals.
Vast majority of Muslims show no liberal views towards Homosexuals. Pew research back that statement up.
Blaire white is great, you can always go to another bakery but you cant get another life. Its amazing how the regressive left can think no cake and mass murder are both just “religious extremism” no, islam is the problem. Christianity can make me drive 4 minutes to another bakery, big deal. Islam would take my life. Islam is a problem, christianity is not. Religion os a choice, people like Phil need to stop defending the choice of people to be in a death cult and screaming “BUH BUH NOT ALL” when ever they follow their religion’steachings. Islam is the problem. I
Yeah…it’s just coincidental that many deeply Islamic nations hold the death penalty for homosexuals.
@Will Phillips The US isn’t a deeply Islamic nation.
Vast majority of Muslims show no liberal views towards Homosexuals. Pew research back that statement up.
@Holding no liberal views towards homosexuals isn’t the same as murdering them in a mass shooting.
I couldn’t give a fig if some holds no liberal views against me. They’re free to think whatever the hell they want about me. I’d like that they didn’t but I can deal with that.
What I don’t want is for them to shoot me or deny me my rights.
I saw earlier a Muslim, fasting for Ramadan giving blood in Orlando because it was so badly needed. He was just one Muslim doing something to help people. In the same way the murderer here was also just one Muslim doing something to harm them. Judge people by their actions, not stereotypes.
Absolutely heart breaking stuff. I can’t imagine what was going through all those victims minds as this was happening.
Same thing that went through the minds of the kids in Norway, Dunblane, Pakistan, and countless other atrocities both in and outside of the US. Sheer terror and panic.
I’m sure it was similar, Undie. I still can’t imagine it, no matter how common these things are.
one thing that upset the first responders was the number of mobile phones ringing when they were clearing the scene.
Heartbreaking. Poor fella in his last moments. May he and all the other victims rest in peace. Only a matter of time until the next isis attack. So difficult to stop someone with a gun or bomb who is also willing to die. The root of the ideology needs to be tackled.
This homophobic terrorist attack has broken the hearts of millions worldwide including myself. Let this instigate anti homophobic legislation & long awaited gun control in America
Because ‘anti- homophobic’ legislation is going to prevent an Islamic extremist entering a nightclub and mowing down innocents. You do know there are already laws in place against mass murder?
What is anti homophobic legislation going to do then? Maybe move the prevalent culture in American from one in which it is acceptable to hate and discriminate against gay people to one of acceptance and tolerance, one in which bigotry cannot wrap itself up in the Teflon blanket of religion to shield itself from criticism.
How awful. RIP
Undiegundie to call Obama a coward for not tackling gun crime is daft, firstly he must have the support of the Senate which is staunchly Republican and in the pocket of the NRA (along with some democrats) one of the strongest lobby groups in America, it’s in there interest that this never changes and they always come up with more plans to arm others because that is what will solve the problem. They’re nuts, a lot of Americans want change but are being held to ransom by a multi-billion dollar industry, I’m pretty sure whenthe American constution was written the signatories didn’t envision the right to bear arms as anyone having high caliber semi-automatic weapons. Plus have you every been on the receiving end of a high powered rifle and try to disarm them? I havent, but I’m guessing it’s not as easy as Hollywood makes it out to be, it’s easy to be an armchair hero, reality is a bit different….God help those poor people and their families is all I can say, we can hope for change but given what’s happened in the past I don’t think it will.
No he doesn’t need the support of the senate. Executive orders means he can act unilaterally. He already did, but it was laughable.
Unilateral orders are limited go to far and they are illegal and can be challenged by the Senate, that’s why is called a legislative assembly
I don’t see how he can act unilaterally as such an act would immediately be challenged as unconstitutional given the second amendment. The gun lobby has plenty of money and are not afraid to spend it.
Even if he did, it woudl be repealed as soon as the next Republican got into the White House, which woudl be more likely as they’d play the “Democrats taking our constitutional rights” card.
@Ricky. He already DID act and passed an executive order back in January on this. But it was half-assed. That’s why the FBI investigated this guy twice and he was still able to go and buy guns. He brought in laws declaring that sellers of weapons at fairs and online need to be licenced. What he didn’t do was bring in laws to stop nutjobs freely buying guns.
You really don’t know your US constitunional law Undie. Stop pretending like you do. Dolt.
There must have been incredible levels of panic to say the gunman wasn’t overpowered. Perhaps people tried and were killed in their endeavours.
Why so hard to tell the truth about Orlando?
And this is the headline from Turkey – absolutely sick. http://m.sputniknews.com/world/20160613/1041227777/perverts-newspaper-orlando-massacre.html
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t understand hatred of any group by any group whatever church, mosque, meeting house or covern they attend! ! Live and let live!!
Reports suggest that there were two other people shooting and weren’t caught
Yeah, reports from the usual fetid internet underbelly of the truther/conspiracy sites who are already spouting tripe about “crisis actors” and “cover ups”. It’s to be expected by now but sad to see.
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