If BE go on Strike, will DB & IR too?

Delta2113 · 10-01-2013 12:59am

Dublin Bus workers stopped mass Privatisation of Bus services years ago (aprox. year 2004) by Minister Brennan by going on strike - the unions won that battle - no question about it.

serfboard · 10-01-2013 3:34am

From the RTÉ website:

RT&#201 wrote:

SIPTU has warned that a dispute over Bus Éireann's decision to implement changes to terms and conditions without agreement could spread to Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus.

Bus Eireann has said it was proceeding with its cost-reduction measures from Sunday.

Speaking after 91% of members voted for action, SIPTU’s Willie Noone said: "If the company proceeds on its current course it is likely that workers across the CIE group will be forced to take similar action.

end of the road · 10-01-2013 4:38am

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the public will absolutely not accept solidarity strikes in the current climate

and what will they do about it? oh yeah, nothing, they will bitch and moan, but in the end sit there and take it, because if they could strike themselves to try resolve a dispute with their employer they would.

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the there is no call for IE or DB striking for the sake of it

well to the best of my knowledge theirs no issue between DB and IE staff and their respective management warrenting a strike so they won't be "striking in solidarity with their fellow brothers and sisters"

Cookie_Monster wrote: »

the pissing off hundreds of thousands of customers for no real reason

well if the taxi strikes are anything to go by people get over it the same as they will get over the BE strike to

Cookie_Monster · 10-01-2013 4:49am

end of the road wrote: »

and what will they do about it? oh yeah, nothing, they will bitch and moan, but in the end sit there and take it, because if they could strike themselves to try resolve a dispute with their employer they would.

inevitably they only thing they can, bitch on Joe, bitch in the papers and start taking their cars / bikes / walking to work again, losing BE passengers and revenue

well to the best of my knowledge theirs no issue between DB and IE warrenting a strike so they won't be "striking in solidarity with their fellow brothers and sisters"

since when have the unions every listened to common sense above their own vested interests in hanging companies? If they can get away with it they'll try it.

well if the taxi strikes are anything to go by people get over it the same as they will get over the BE strike to

not exactly comparable, how many people rely on taxi for a daily commute?

EnoughIsEnough · 10-01-2013 11:20pm

Hopefully the LRC intervention will prevent the NBRU action from Sunday next developing into an all out strike from Thursday next (though nobody knows what action the NBRU will take from Sunday and if I am right they will not be partaking in the LRC talks)

Updates available on the LRC website :

http://www.lrc.ie/newsfeeds/default.asp

devnull · 10-01-2013 11:32pm

The NBRU are not attending talks? Well it seems they really are living in cloud cuckoo land if they really are not even willing to discuss the matter or make a compromise.

Who are the other union involved as I read there were three, and who do they represent? The clerical and executive works who don't want to work a full time week?

bmaxi · 10-01-2013 11:44pm

end of the road wrote: »

and what will they do about it? oh yeah, nothing, they will bitch and moan, but in the end sit there and take it, because if they could strike themselves to try resolve a dispute with their employer they would.

They will also take to the private bus operators where they operate and probably never come back. From personal experience the private operators seem to be able to call on hidden resources when the situation demands and could take up a good part of the slack. BE drivers are ill advised to take strike action in the current climate, it'll end in tears.

EnoughIsEnough · 10-01-2013 11:48pm

Three unions have balloted for industrial action: Siptu, the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU).

Read earlier today that NBRU while TALKING to Bus Eireann would NOT negotiate AT ALL on the main cost saving items and then refused to go to the LRC or Labour Court (prior to this strike ballot) because - WAIT FOR IT - they were still talking to the company !!!!!!!!!!!!11

end of the road · 10-01-2013 11:51pm

bmaxi wrote: »

They will also take to the private bus operators where they operate and probably never come back.

they will come crawling back once the privates see an opportunity to bump up the prices. the public know which side their bread is buttered on

EnoughIsEnough · 10-01-2013 11:52pm

I agree with bmaxi comments.

I travel 60 km x 2 each day with Bus Eireann daily and like many others have no ready alternative. If this is not sorted soon we will have arranged to travel by the private operators who have minibuses etc and Bus Eireann revenue next week will be down massively thus making the situation worse.

AlekSmart · 10-01-2013 11:53pm

bmaxi wrote: »

They will also take to the private bus operators where they operate and probably never come back. From personal experience the private operators seem to be able to call on hidden resources when the situation demands and could take up a good part of the slack. BE drivers are ill advised to take strike action in the current climate, it'll end in tears.

Hidden from whom ...?

devnull · 10-01-2013 11:55pm

end of the road wrote: »

they will come crawling back once the privates see an opportunity to bump up the prices. the public know which side their bread is buttered on

Just out of curiosity, do you have any involvement with any transport company in any form?

I don't know of any privates who are competing with Bus Eireann who are bumping their prices up in the way you suggest.

Although the privates don't get any subsidy for any services and have to pay their own insurance etc.

end of the road · 11-01-2013 12:27am

devnull wrote: »

Just out of curiosity, do you have any involvement with any transport company in any form?

no, i'm just here giving my opinion that is all.

11-01-2013 12:29am

From the Irish Rail Facebook page:

Customer Information: We would just like to advise customers that we do not anticipate any disruption to rail services next week due to possible industrial action at Bus Éireann. Iarnród Éireann is not party to this dispute.

bmaxi · 11-01-2013 12:38am

AlekSmart wrote: »

Hidden from whom ...?

Hidden, in the sense they can and do provide, coaches and minibuses at short notice to fill a gap in the market. This was evidenced in Wexford recently when Wexford Bus was able to triple it's loading to Dublin for the student fair after BE had cut it's Expressway timetable. BE also has access to private operators in the area but as usual couldn't see further than their noses. This is another example of why they are losing the battle in this area.

bmaxi · 11-01-2013 12:45am

end of the road wrote: »

they will come crawling back once the privates see an opportunity to bump up the prices. the public know which side their bread is buttered on

I don't see any evidence, where I live, of the hundreds of daily commuters who have left BE to travel with the private operators rushing to go back. Truth is, the privates offer competitive fares, often with concession and family tickets, comfortable coaches and a much better attitude toward their customers.

dowlingm · 11-01-2013 2:46pm

bmaxi wrote: »

From personal experience the private operators seem to be able to call on hidden resources when the situation demands and could take up a good part of the slack.

Isn't there a question mark over the legality of some of those service boosts though, that it exceeds the licence granted? Pretty sure that's come up on certain threads.

currins_02 · 11-01-2013 3:03pm

No more than the questions raised regarding Bus Eireann's incessant use of unscheduled "helps" and operating direct "helps" on certain routes at certain times. AFAIK there was a ruling that a help, be that direct or not, was fine for an overload but not permitted when main carriage was not loaded. Also barring a coach is FULLY loaded with direct passengers it must service all stops on the route licence. Think was the outcome anyway, but either way BE are as prone to this one as privates.

larchill · 11-01-2013 3:07pm

It's just so typical of this crowd (BE, DB, & IE) - CIE. They never were the epitome of efficiency with restrictive practices & resistance to change. The lease little thing & they're out walking around the place with placards.

Mrs OBumble · 11-01-2013 3:46pm

dowlingm wrote: »

Isn't there a question mark over the legality of some of those service boosts though, that it exceeds the licence granted? Pretty sure that's come up on certain threads.

I've been wondering: if a company is licensed to run a service, eg Galway to Dublin, once an hour, is there anything that says they can only provide one bus with 52 seats? Does the license allow them to add extra seating capacity, provided they stick to the licensed time/route?

currins_02 · 11-01-2013 3:51pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I've been wondering: if a company is licensed to run a service, eg Galway to Dublin, once an hour, is there anything that says they can only provide one bus with 52 seats? Does the license allow them to add extra seating capacity, provided they stick to the licensed time/route?

See my post above, there was a legal case about this not so long ago and AFAIK the outcome was that they could add "unscheduled helps" to any over subscribed service.

mickydoomsux · 11-01-2013 3:57pm

larchill wrote: »

It's just so typical of this crowd (BE, DB, & IE) - CIE. They never were the epitome of efficiency with restrictive practices & resistance to change. The lease little thing & they're out walking around the place with placards.

You do realise it's only BE going on strike right? And this is the first time in a long time too.

I

bk · 11-01-2013 5:48pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

I've been wondering: if a company is licensed to run a service, eg Galway to Dublin, once an hour, is there anything that says they can only provide one bus with 52 seats? Does the license allow them to add extra seating capacity, provided they stick to the licensed time/route?

My understanding is that the way most of the intercity licenses are termed, they can put on extra "help" buses at the same time as scheduled services.

So if for example you have a license for a bus every hour from Cork to Dublin, then you can put on two buses at 5pm and 6pm. What you aren't allowed to do is put on an extra bus at 5:30 overlapping with a competitor.

I have to say BE going on strike is monumentally stupid, the private operators will make hay while the strike is on and once people have experienced the private operators, many people may never return to BE.

Also if the strike goes on long, it may well lead to calls and public support for the break up and privatisation of BE.

end of the road · 11-01-2013 6:46pm

bk wrote: »

if the strike goes on long, it may well lead to calls and public support for the break up and privatisation of BE.

public support? in this country? if it doesn't involve sitting down doing nothing and taking it then you can forget about it, their won't be public support for the break up of CIE because the truth is most people don't care about anything in this country, and the government don't care about public support unless its actually dangerous for them not to do so (the pensioners anyone?)

devnull · 11-01-2013 7:09pm

So I heard today someone from the TSSA who is moaning that their hours are being increased from 36 to 39 hours a week and this will not allow them enough time with their family, my heart bleeds, such a long week really is tough.

Then I heard another one say that they've effectively had their rate of pay cut as now anything over 39 hours is counted as higher rate for overtime rather than over 36 hours.

Which leads me to the next question, how much overtime does the average clerical worker do> And if they are doing it very regularly, then surely it should not be known as overtime, but of course for a worker to work a standard 36 hour week and 4 hours overtime every week, would result in better pay than a flat 40 hour week paid at normal rate.

bmaxi · 11-01-2013 11:59pm

Came home on the 19.50 Wexford Bus tonight, scarcely a empty seat. This, in contrast to the 19.30 BE bus which passed the stop quarter full, so much for passengers running back to BE.

ThreeLineWhip · 12-01-2013 1:08am

Strike averted for now.

foggy_lad · 12-01-2013 1:30am

ThreeLineWhip wrote: »

Strike averted for now.

Until BE decide to implement the changes on Sunday!

Hilly Bill · 12-01-2013 1:42am

They wont.

ThreeLineWhip · 12-01-2013 1:49am

wrote:

We shall see.

If BE go on Strike, will DB & IR too?

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