Do you support the Dublin Bus workers?

No time for them, overpaid and arrogant to boot!
14 months of negoitations, and they have rejected the Labour Court recommendations.
Time to to deregulate the buses, see how the greedy feckers fare then when they have to actually compete for business.

No. I support Man United.

I don't support them. I don't agree with striking unless it's in extreme circumstances. They're causing a lot of hassle to a lot of people right now. There's thousands of tourists over for the Rock'n'Roll half marathon who are going to be inconvienced and will go home with a bad impression of Dublin. Other people may have to spend a significant portion of their budget just to get to work tomorrow.

The only people benefitting are taxi drivers.

The recommendations, made by the Labour Court, came into effect at midnight on the 4th of August, with a prescript that any driver working at that time would be counted to have agreed to the cuts.

Since 2009 representatives for the workers at the company have been involved in talks with the government, the directors, and the labour courts, and have so far made a saving of 25 million euro in overall annual expenditure. This saving has taken the form of a reduction of 20% of staff in areas such as maintenance and clerical staff, as well as drivers, and a reduction in the number of people working per day, as well the reduction in the number of routes and merging of others. And of course; in the raising of prices.

Bigger European countries, such as Germany, provide near 70% towards their public transport, but in Ireland, their simply isn’t the money. So the company must cut back further. This has taken the form of a range of benefit cuts mostly in relation to wages on Bank Holidays, Sundays, and other public holidays, and a reduction in the number of rest days. While this may seem like a small sacrifice for the greater cause that is austerity; the workers Dublin Bus feel like they can’t be pushed any further.

It is very important to note that the people most affected by these cuts are not the drivers, but the maintenance and clerical staff. On average a member of the maintenance crew would earn nearly 28,000 a year, before tax. And the majority of them must support families, in a slowly inflating economy. They make up a great deal for this low wage by working overtime, bank holidays and Sundays, as well as doing arduous night shifts. These cuts mean that their basic wage will lower even further, without a cut to the wages themselves. Though the cuts are coupled with a new lower wage packet for new employees.

This is a company who are being pressed, and pressed and pressed to make more and more savings, stuck between a government who are looking for a good enough reason to privatise them, and work force who simply cannot take anymore. But striking rarely wins you any favours with the populace, and with support, what hope do they have. Personally, I would call it a dumb move, if they didn’t have any other choice.

But what if they don’t concede, what if the workers don’t lose their nerve, how long could this go on? How far could it spread? During protests in 1913 there were riots on the streets, people living off scraps. Who will come out in sympathy, or even in defence of their own jobs? I’m sure there are people in the opposition, particularly the SWP and PBP that are waiting – even hoping – for this, but none of this really helps the everyday person, they trudge along complaining, but content to put up with it. What happens when they get pushed too far, what happens when they can’t take anymore?

But sure this is Ireland, it’ll all be grand, we just have to knuckle down, and we’ll make it through.
http://irishnewsreview.net/2013/08/05/history-repeats-itself-2013-dublin-bus-strike/

Some intresting points been put here, one,s in which I would agree with.

realies wrote: »

The recommendations, made by the Labour Court, came into effect at midnight on the 4th of August, with a prescript that any driver working at that time would be counted to have agreed to the cuts.

Since 2009 representatives for the workers at the company have been involved in talks with the government, the directors, and the labour courts, and have so far made a saving of 25 million euro in overall annual expenditure. This saving has taken the form of a reduction of 20% of staff in areas such as maintenance and clerical staff, as well as drivers, and a reduction in the number of people working per day, as well the reduction in the number of routes and merging of others. And of course; in the raising of prices.

Bigger European countries, such as Germany, provide near 70% towards their public transport, but in Ireland, their simply isn’t the money. So the company must cut back further. This has taken the form of a range of benefit cuts mostly in relation to wages on Bank Holidays, Sundays, and other public holidays, and a reduction in the number of rest days. While this may seem like a small sacrifice for the greater cause that is austerity; the workers Dublin Bus feel like they can’t be pushed any further.

It is very important to note that the people most affected by these cuts are not the drivers, but the maintenance and clerical staff. On average a member of the maintenance crew would earn nearly 28,000 a year, before tax. And the majority of them must support families, in a slowly inflating economy. They make up a great deal for this low wage by working overtime, bank holidays and Sundays, as well as doing arduous night shifts. These cuts mean that their basic wage will lower even further, without a cut to the wages themselves. Though the cuts are coupled with a new lower wage packet for new employees.

This is a company who are being pressed, and pressed and pressed to make more and more savings, stuck between a government who are looking for a good enough reason to privatise them, and work force who simply cannot take anymore. But striking rarely wins you any favours with the populace, and with support, what hope do they have. Personally, I would call it a dumb move, if they didn’t have any other choice.

But what if they don’t concede, what if the workers don’t lose their nerve, how long could this go on? How far could it spread? During protests in 1913 there were riots on the streets, people living off scraps. Who will come out in sympathy, or even in defence of their own jobs? I’m sure there are people in the opposition, particularly the SWP and PBP that are waiting – even hoping – for this, but none of this really helps the everyday person, they trudge along complaining, but content to put up with it. What happens when they get pushed too far, what happens when they can’t take anymore?

But sure this is Ireland, it’ll all be grand, we just have to knuckle down, and we’ll make it through.
http://irishnewsreview.net/2013/08/05/history-repeats-itself-2013-dublin-bus-strike/

Some intresting points been put here, one,s in which I would agree with.

This is not on a par with 1913. Hopefully they will stay on strike and the government will deregulate the buses allowing real private competition, problem solved!