CIE break-up plan

Victor

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Bus and rail chaos feared as Brennan angers union
From:The Irish Independent
Monday, 5th January, 2004
Fergus Black

THOUSANDS of passengers face bus and rail disruption within the next two weeks in a clash between Transport Minister Seamus Brennan and a union.

The National Bus and Railworkers Union is ready for battle over Mr Brennan's plans to break up CIE.

It yesterday accused the minister of "a shameless act of treachery" in making statements about his break-up plans while talks were going on between his department officials and CIE unions.

Mr Brennan replied, through a spokesman, that he reserved the right to outline his policies when asked to do so, but he remained fully committed to discussions with the unions about how these policies would be implemented.

Mr Brennan's department is still expecting CIE unions to attend discussions on January 15 on the question of opening up the Dublin market.

But the NBRU said the talks process had "lost all credibility and integrity" and threatened work stoppages which would hit bus and rail services throughout the country.

In a statement, NBRU general secretary Liam Tobin warned that his union will be looking to reinstitute its campaign of action, which began with a "no fares" day last July. The union's ruling executive meets tomorrow.

All CIE companies would be affected by the resumed action, which could begin within the next fortnight and would involve a series of work stoppages from the deferred campaign.

The union's latest threat follows what it said were renewed statements by Mr Brennan that he intended pressing ahead with plans to break up CIE and privatise routes while talks were still in progress between his officials and CIE unions.

Mr Tobin said action had been deferred at the request of the secretary general of the Department, Julie O'Neill, but they would resume the campaign as the minister had left them with no option. They had entered the talks in good faith and in December it was agreed by all concerned that at such a "delicate point" in the process there would be no public comment.

Yet two days later, in an Irish Independent interview, Mr Brennan said he was not just pressing ahead with plans to privatise 25pc of Dublin Bus routes but 25pc of Bus Eireann routes also.

On December 23, Ms O'Neill sent a letter to the union, assuring it she had discussed its concerns with the minister over the article and he had reiterated his commitment to a meaningful process of engagement.

But on the same day in another interview, Mr Brennan said he was breaking up the CIE group and among the very first directors to go would be those representing the workforce.

"While we appreciate the efforts of Ms O'Neill and her officials to work with us in protecting the future of a public transport system that has improved dramatically in recent years, we cannot continue with a process whose integrity has been repeatedly attacked by the minister responsible for fostering that system, its customers and its employees," the NBRU said.

Responding, Mr Brennan's spokesman said the minister supported the secretary general's December letter to the unions in which he indicated he considered it appropriate to broaden discussions to consider the opening of the bus market outside Dublin.

The minister also said he had not arrived at definite conclusions for the bus market overall.

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Workers threaten strike over CIE break-up
From:ireland.com
Monday, 5th January, 2004

Commuters face New Year disruption to their travel plans after transport workers renewed their threat of industrial action over the Minister for Transport's plans to break up CIÉ.

National Bus and Railworkers' Union (NBRU) representatives will meet tomorrow to discuss renewing the strike action that was deferred last August.

The union said its action followed a number of public comments made by Mr Brennan, since December 19th, where he said he would press ahead with the break up of the State transport company.

Mr Liam Tobin, general secretary of the NBRU, told ireland.com his members were "incensed with anger" over the Minister's statements that he planned to ask the chairman of CIÉ to step down and that he would not reappoint the directors of the group.

Mr Tobin said the union had been given reassurances on a number of occasions by the Department of Transport that nothing would proceed until the talks process with unions was completed.

Around 4,000 transport workers are members of the NBRU; others are members of SIPTU and the ATGWU.

Mr Tobin said the previous ballot in favour of industrial action, which would affect bus and rail services throughout the country, still stands. An emergency meeting of the NBRU's national executive committee will be held tomorrow morning to decide what action is to be taken.

A spokesman for the minister said: "As a minister and a public representative, Mr Brennan was under almost daily questioning as regards his policies and he reserves the right as his prerogative to outline these policies when asked to do so as the public are fully entitled to know.

"The minister is strongly of the view that he does not have to take a vow of silence on issues that the public is entitled to know the updates on. Obviously both sides are fully entitled to lay out policy
positions whenever asked to do so and the minister has no difficulty with that. The fact that there are clear differences over these policies is widely known.

"However, all involved should be big enough to rise above these differences and engage in meaningful negotiations to bring the situation forward with some urgency. Minister said he remains fully committed to discussions with the unions about how these policies affect their members and the pace and manner of their implementation."

The spokesman said the minister is pursuing his policies in order to open the public transport
market so that public and private companies can operate services side by side. This would result in more choice for consumers, increased efficiency in services, better customer relations and greater transparency for the millions of taxpayers money that is provided as a subsidy every year, he said.

"The public transport system is operating under a 1932 piece of legislation and this urgently needs reform and modernisation so that it reflects the needs of the transport system and the travelling public in the 21st century."

Victor

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Transport union meets to decide on action
From:ireland.com
Tuesday, 6th January, 2004



The national executive of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) will meet later today to decide whether to restart industrial action in opposition to plans by the Minister for Transport to break up CIÉ.

All CIÉ unions are due to meet with Department of Transport officials next week on January 15th for renewed talks on the future of the company.

However, unions representing rail and bus workers have been angered over interviews given by Mr Brennan in which he restated his plans to introduce competition from private operators on certain routes.

It now appears likely that the CIÉ unions will opt to withdraw from the talks when they meet this Thursday, making industrial action affecting on rail and bus services increasingly likely.

This weekend the NBRU said it intends to restart industrial action within a fortnight.

ixoy

Any idea what form this strike would take? Generally they try and strike between off-peak hours because they want the public on their side. If they cut off entirely for a day - both bus and rail - they'd really irritate people, although they'd make an effective impact. Any whisperings on their approach?

Victor

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Disruption to bus and rail services likely as talks fail
From:ireland.com
Wednesday, 7th January, 2004

Plans for renewed industrial action by transport workers were endorsed yesterday by one of the biggest unions in CIÉ.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), which represents more than 3,000 workers in the three CIÉ companies, also announced it was pulling out of discussions with the Department of Transport.

At a meeting in Dublin, the union's national executive mandated its officers to take "whatever industrial action they feel is necessary" to protect the pay, conditions and job security of members.

The NBRU will meet with other unions, including SIPTU, tomorrow to draw up a co-ordinated campaign of action. This is expected to begin within the next fortnight and is likely to involve disruption of both bus and rail public transport.

A series of stoppages, following a "no-fares day" last July, had been announced by the unions in response to plans by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, to break up CIÉ and increase competition.

The campaign was deferred, however, to allow talks to take place between the unions and officials in Mr Brennan's department. The two sides had been due to meet again next week.

The unions' decision to resume the campaign follows interviews given by the Minister in the run-up to Christmas, in which he reaffirmed his plans to dismantle CIÉ and privatise bus routes.

The Minister has since restated his commitment to negotiations with the unions, and also defended his right to outline his public transport policies.

However, the NBRU general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, said yesterday that the Department's discussions with the unions had "lost all credibility".

"On the one hand, we have the officials telling us one thing in talks and, on the other, the Minister, Séamus Brennan, is telling the media something completely different.

"It would be neither honest nor practical nor fair to our members to continue with the charade of negotiations while the Minister presses ahead with his own agenda regardless of what takes place at those talks."

The NBRU, he said, remained available for talks, but only if they were facilitated by an independent chairman.

A call for the Taoiseach to intervene to get the talks restarted was issued by the Labour Party spokeswoman on transport, Ms Róisín Shortall. She said the NBRU's decision to withdraw from discussions was regrettable but not surprising, given Mr Brennan's recent "provocative comments". She urged unions, however, to show restraint and not to do anything that would deprive commuters of essential public transport services.

Mr Tobin said the "tragedy" was that a basis did exist for finding a way forward - through the Public Transport Forum, a social partnership body set up under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness. He claimed Mr Brennan seemed determined "to bin the forum report, and the partnership approach on which it was based, for reasons best known to himself".

Victor

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Union warns of looming bus and rail strikes
From:ireland.com
Wednesday, 7th January, 2004

The National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) has warned that bus and train services will be hit by strikes within two weeks if agreement is not reached in their industrial dispute.

The union - which represents more than 3,000 workers - is locked in battle with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, over his plans to break CIÉ into three separate companies and put a number of Dublin Bus routes out to private tender.

The union threatened six "days of action" last August, following a no-fares day in July, where bus drivers refused to accept fares, allowing passengers travel for free. The planned actions were deferred to allow for talks.

However, NBRU negotiators broke off talks with Department officials yesterday, with the union's General Secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, claiming the discussions "had lost all credibility" and were a "charade".

He said union members were angry that Mr Brennan had reaffirmed his intention to break up CIÉ in a number of interviews before Christmas, despite that fact that negotiations were ongoing. "On the one hand we have the officials telling us one thing in talks and on the other the Minister...is telling the media something completely different."

The union has now told its officers "to take whatever industrial action they feel is necessary to protect the pay, conditions and job security of our members," he said.

"The time of action or the type of action, we'll be discussing tomorrow with our colleagues from all of the unions in CIÉ, and by the way, they're just as incensed and angry as we are and decisions will be made.

"Unfortunately we have no choice at this stage, it will be industrial action," he said. "Up until now, we have taken action designed not to disrupt the travelling public with our national protest, our no fares day, and we have kept away from pure strike action."

seamus

Grumble...grumble......unions.

Let them strike. Fvck them. It would be a small price to pay for improved services.

Victor

Originally posted by ixoy
Any idea what form this strike would take? Generally they try and strike between off-peak hours because they want the public on their side. If they cut off entirely for a day - both bus and rail - they'd really irritate people, although they'd make an effective impact. Any whisperings on their approach?

I'm not sure. I've heard many "fighting words". I suspect it might either take a novel work to rule approach or all out strike. While the latter would make the minister more set in his ways, a two week strike would also give the workers huge leverage on him because it would screw the country so much.

ixoy

Originally posted by seamus
Grumble...grumble......unions.

Let them strike. Fvck them. It would be a small price to pay for improved services.

Do you have to take the bus/train to work? If so, how do you propose to manage during a strike? If not....

seamus

Originally posted by ixoy
Do you have to take the bus/train to work? If so, how do you propose to manage during a strike? If not....

No I don't get them to work. In fact I wouldn't really be affected by the inevitable traffic chaos either

But I'm still allowed say it

nlgbbbblth

Originally posted by ixoy
Do you have to take the bus/train to work? If so, how do you propose to manage during a strike? If not....

I have to take Arrow, Bus and DART to work
morning and evening

screwed if there's a strike

Victor

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Transport unions meet to plan industrial action
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 8th January, 2004

Unions representing transport workers will meet today to draw up plans for fresh industrial action that could begin within the next fortnight.

This is likely to include a series of rolling measures, such as more "no-fares" days, or conventional protests involving disruption of bus and rail transport.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, said last night he had written to CIÉ unions seeking to re-establish talks over his plans to break up the company. He said he was "strongly of the view" that the planned reforms could go ahead while protecting the terms and conditions of workers in CIÉ.

Earlier, the Taoiseach, also asked the unions to return to talks. Mr Ahern said large subsidies footed by the taxpayer could not continue without reform of the transport network. He also insisted that pay and conditions for employees would not be affected.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), which represents more than 3,000 workers in CIÉ, and SIPTU, as well as smaller unions, say the Mr Brennan's attitude to the talks made it impossible for them to attend meetings over the future of the company.

The unions will discuss a co-ordinated campaign of action at a meeting at the Irish Congress of Trade Unions headquarters today. A series of "no-fares" days were announced by the unions last July as part of its campaign against Mr Brennan's plans.

The campaign was deferred to allow talks to take place between the unions and officials in Mr Brennan's Department. However, unions pulled out of the meetings following interviews by the Minister before Christmas where he restated his plans to dismantle CIÉ and privatise bus routes.

The NBRU general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, said the union was available for talks, but only if they were facilitated by an independent chairman. He said the Irish system had improved dramatically in recent years, despite some of the lowest operational subventions in Europe.

Meanwhile, sources last night suggested there was a possibility of joint industrial action between unions representing both CIÉ and Aer Rianta, which could cause widespread transport chaos during the Government's six-month presidency of the European Union.

This follows inconclusive talks last night between unions at Aer Rianta and the Department of Transport over plans to break up the company into three competing airport authorities.

The unions are due to meet on Friday to discuss the status of talks with the Department.

If they decide to pull out of the talks process, unions sources say it is inevitable industrial action would follow.

Victor

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Threat to bus and rail lifted as more talks with Brennan agreed
From:ireland.com
Friday, 9th January, 2004

A threat of industrial action affecting bus and rail transport was lifted yesterday, at least for a further week.

Union representatives decided to accept an invitation to enter new talks with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, on his plans for CIÉ.

They warned last night, however, that industrial action remained imminent unless Mr Brennan could assure them meaningful negotiations would take place.

Unions are opposed to Mr Brennan's plans to dismantle CIÉ and allow increased competition from private operators.

The two sides are expected to meet next week. If a formula is not found to begin a new talks process, the unions will reconvene to draw up a timetable for industrial action.

The CIÉ unions had intended to agree such a timetable at a meeting yesterday in Dublin. An 11th-hour intervention by the Minister, however, changed the agenda.

In a letter to the Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary, Mr David Begg, the Minister said he was committed to resolving the impasse between them and invited the unions to meet him or his Department.

An existing talks process broke down this week following interviews given by Mr Brennan in which he restated his commitment to competition and the break-up of CIÉ.

In a statement following their meeting, the unions said they were "reluctantly" accepting the Minister's invitation, "given the past history of similar invitations".

Unions claim Mr Brennan has continually undermined negotiations by making public statements on his intentions. Both sides, their statement said, needed to find a new process that would have integrity and would address members' concerns.

Mr Liam Tobin of the NBRU said the unions had not deferred their planned campaign of action. A timetable had not been announced because some union representatives had to consult their committees, he said.

He was not optimistic of a successful outcome to next week's meeting, he said.

Mr Michael Halpenny of SIPTU said the onus was on Mr Brennan to prove he was committed to finding a resolution.

In his letter to Mr Begg, Mr Brennan said it was usual for Ministers to be interviewed about policy objectives. "I do believe that both sides should be able to hold their public position, as indeed both sides have, without that leading to a breakdown in discussions." He said most of his planned reforms had been agreed by the social partners, including unions, in the public transport partnership forum. The differences were "mainly to do with scale and timing".

Aer Rianta unions meet today to consider discussions they have held with the Department of Transport over Mr Brennan's plans to break up that company. They may decide to reinstigate industrial action, which was deferred to allow those talks to take place.

Victor

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Bus strike shelved but Brennan stands by his plans
From:The Irish Independent
Friday, 9th January, 2004
Gerald Flynn Industrial Correspondent

COMMUTERS heaved a sight of relief last night as bus and rail bosses postponed a series of "escalating industrial actions" over plans to privatise a quarter of all bus routes and dismantle CIE.

The unions agreed to resume talks with Transport Minister Seamus Brennan. But last night the minister made it clear that he stands by his privatisation plan which could cost the jobs of 600 Dublin Bus drivers within the next year.

He reaffirmed, through a spokesman, his pledge to privatise up to 250 buses and 50 routes.

Mr Brennan hopes to see competition in Dublin by this summer but Bus Eireann routes may not be affected until next year, according to a spokesman.

The minister is to discuss these issues next week with union chiefs who yesterday agreed to postpone industrial action they had threatened over lack of consultation.

They will also discuss his plans to break up CIE into three transport companies.

National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) chief, Tony Tobin, said that they had "reluctantly" agreed to meet Mr Brennan.

"Given the seriousness of the situation and the importance of the public transport issues at stake for both our members and the wider public, we feel it is important to explore every avenue for a peaceful resolution of our differences," he said.

But he warned that unions would still take action if their meeting with Mr Brennan was unsatisfactory.

In a bid to avert widespread rail and bus strikes, Mr Brennan assured the union leaders that he believes "these reforms can be undertaken without any dilution of the terms of employment and conditions of service of your members".

If the minister is serious about this, the unions are likely to seek "letters of comfort" from him guaranteeing their current arrangements. It is expected that Mr Brennan will offer a voluntary buy-out or redundancy for drivers affected by bus privatisation.

Mr Brennan's letter to union chiefs omitted any mention of his plans for a quarter of the bus services currently operated by Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann to be run by private companies later this year.

With reference to the CIE unions, Mr Brennan described the current situation as a "regrettable impasse in which we find ourselves".

He invited ICTU chief, David Begg, to accompany the CIE group of unions to the meeting with him.

To complicate the matter, the NBRU is not a Congress-affiliated union, while SIPTU has parted company with the ICTU within CIE due to internal differences.

These new discussions, expected next week, will be the fourth set of talks between the department and the unions on the bus deregulation issue since Mr Brennan became minister in June 2002.

The first discussions, in autumn 2002, ended in failure; and the second set of talks, agreed after the unions staged a day of protest in January 2003, foundered after the minister said that he would prepare for a summer of industrial discontent.

A third round resumed last September following a threat of six days of bus strikes. These on-off talks with department officials collapsed last month as the minister pledged to privatise part of the Bus Eireann network as well.

The new talks are expected to commence next week but, given past experience, may also collapse within days.

Meanwhile, Aer Rianta workers will gather today to hear that the minister has refused to assure them that they will maintain their pay and conditions when he breaks up the state airport authority into three stand-alone companies.

They also want details on a second terminal at Dublin airport and the business plan or rationale behind the proposal to split up Aer Rianta.

Victor

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Transport unions accept Brennan assurances
From:ireland.com
Friday, 9th January, 2004

Two unions have said they accept assurances from the Minister for Transport that he did not provide figures cited in a media report today that suggested up to 600 jobs at CIÉ could be lost within a year under a plan that would privatise 50 bus routes.

In a statement, the National Bus and Railworkers' Union (NBRU) and SIPTU said they had received a letter from the Minister, Mr Brennan, in which he said neither he nor his press office had provided any of the numbers quoted in a newspaper article.

The report came less than 24 hours after the unions said they had "reluctantly" agreed to accept an invitation to meet the Minister and to seek a way out of the current "impasse" over the restructuring of CIÉ .

The unions said this morning's report had caused "major consternation among company employees".

"Earlier today the unions sought immediate clarifications from the Minister and made it clear that if the report reflected accurately the Minister's position then talks would not be possible and they would be reactivating the industrial action mandates of their members," the statement continued.

The unions said they had made their own enquiries about the report and they were satisfied that the Minister's statement "reflected the true situation".

Representatives of the NBRU met in emergency session earlier this week to discuss comments made by Mr Brennan in a number of recent media interviews. Mr Brennan had reiterated his plan to break up CIÉ and to shake up the public transport market.

Victor

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Dispute may hit Dublin buses today
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 22nd January, 2004

Bus services in Dublin are threatened with severe disruption today because of unofficial action by drivers, who are due to attend a mass union meeting.

Ironically, the protest was organised to coincide with a planned stoppage at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports today. That action, however, was called off yesterday by SIPTU. Despite that decision, the union's Dublin Bus branch resolved to go ahead with an "information meeting" for workers at 11 a.m.

It is inviting all bus workers, including members of the National Bus and Rail Union, to attend the meeting at Liberty Hall.

Dublin Bus said the event could cause "severe disruption" from as early as 9.30 a.m., when drivers are likely to begin making their way to the meeting, which is expected to last for up to two hours. Services may not return to normal until the early afternoon.

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, who is due to recommence talks with the CIÉ unions on Monday, said the action was unnecessary. "There is no need for it. I am meeting the complete group of unions in CIÉ and the agenda will cover all of the issues of concern."

SIPTU members make up about 60 per cent of Dublin Bus's 2,400 drivers. The extent to which NBRU drivers, who comprise the other 40 per cent, will support the action will not be known until today.

The NBRU's general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, said it had advised members yesterday that anyone who was not rostered for duty should feel free to attend.

The meeting, organised by SIPTU's Dublin Bus branch, does not have the sanction of the union's senior officials. Dublin Bus says workers who attend the meeting while rostered for work will have wages deducted.

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Bus chaos predicted as drivers defy union peace plea
From:The Irish Independent
Thursday, 22nd January, 2004
Gerald Flynn Industrial Correspondent

DUBLIN BUS fears there will be widespread disruption of services today if drivers take action in protest at Transport Minister Seamus Brennan's plan to privatise some routes.

Unions last night called on members to work normally, but unofficial action is being threatened by a militant group.

The militant drivers are members of Siptu, which yesterday called off a two-hour stoppage threatened at Dublin airport today.

The stoppage, which would have disrupted visits by EU ministers, was to protest at Mr Brennan's plans to break up Aer Rianta.

The minister is at odds with the transport unions on all his main proposals and the potential for bus, rail, and air chaos over the coming weeks remains high, despite various government pledges of job security.

Last night a senior Siptu official explained that "an information meeting" for bus drivers would be held in Liberty Hall, Dublin, this morning but insisted it would not be an industrial stoppage.

Both Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) advised members to work normally if they were rostered for duties and not to disrupt bus services in the capital.

Only those who are not rostered for duty should attend this morning's information meeting, spokesmen for both unions said.

Dublin Bus warned that any drivers who left their buses in depots would have pay deducted.

Nevertheless, a Dublin Bus spokeswoman said the company anticipated widespread disruption of services today between 9.30am and 1pm.

The disruption is being organised by a militant group of bus workers who want Mr Brennan to roll back his pledge to have one-quarter of bus services in the capital operated by private franchise companies later this year.

Earlier this week rail and bus members in Siptu threatened stoppages to coordinate with the Aer Rianta branches.

Even after the airport workers pulled back yesterday, the bus drivers seemed determined to take what amounts to unofficial action.

Mr Brennan is due to meet Siptu and NBRU chiefs on Monday in return for a decision by the NBRU to lift a strike threat earlier this month.

Any unofficial action today is likely to harden attitudes on both sides.

Less than two weeks ago, both unions claimed that Mr Brennan had given them assurances that no bus jobs would be lost.

The actions of the Dublin Bus workers, led by shop-steward Bill Camley, will make negotiations difficult for the Siptu leadership.

The Government may be less conciliatory if it thinks that the top officials have lost influence to a small group of key militants.

EU officials and justice minister broke the union's planned blockage by arriving in Dublin yesterday evening.

The union's president, Jack O'Connor, said that his members remained very sceptical of the offer of consultations and access to detailed financial projections on Aer Rianta but they were willing to engage in further talks.

The Siptu aviation branches were on the verge of lifting their strike threat on Wednesday night following the Taoiseach's endorsement of 'jobs for life'.

The Aer Rianta board's unanimous decision to seek a detailed business plan for each of the three proposed stand-alone airport companies was also welcomed by the negotiating committee.

But a later announcement on behalf of Minister Brennan that all financial planning would be a matter for each of the three new boards, when they are established, proved a major set-back.

It was seen as confirming union fears that Mr Brennan was not serious about open access to detailed business projections on the survival chances of the three airports as independent companies.

Mr O'Connor declined to set a specific time frame for any future talks, apart from noting that Mr Brennan indicated last month that he intended to have legislation prepared by mid-February.

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0122/bus.html

Bus workers warn of strike action
January 22, 2004

(16:37) SIPTU officials at Dublin Bus have warned that strike action is likely if plans to break up CIÉ and privatise parts of Dublin Bus proceed.

The warning came after a meeting of over 500 Dublin Bus workers, including members of SIPTU and the NBRU.

SIPTU said a decision on industrial action would be taken following a meeting with the Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan on Monday.

Today's meeting caused disruption to Dublin Bus services.

A spokesman for Minister Brennan said the Minister described today's action by Dublin Bus workers as unnecessary, as next Monday's meeting had been arranged to address the workers' concerns.

Responding to the comments about the privatisation of Dublin Bus, Minister Brennan said that allowing new entrants into the market has proved a spectacular sucess in other sectors including aviation, and allows greater choice for the customer, and greater transparency in an area where billions of euro of taxpayers money is spent.

Earlier, drivers had said they were worried about their future job security with the company.

Victor

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Warning to Brennan of possible transport strike
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 22nd January, 2004

The likelihood of strike action by transport unions heightened today when up to 500 members of SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union condemned the Government's privatisation plans for CIÉ and Dublin Bus.

Union officials said after the "information meeting" in Liberty Hall that the workers were totally opposed to Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan's plans for the break-up of CIÉ and the privatisation of Dublin Bus.

A decision on industrial action will be taken by the unions next Tuesday after they meet Mr Brennan for talks on Monday. However, Mr Tony Tobin of SIPTU said he was not hopeful of resolution. He said there was "real anger" at the Government's plans and warned the Minister that he was "forcing a fight and a fight he'll get".

Bus services in Dublin returned to normal this afternoon after being disrupted by an unofficial work stoppage by staff to coincide with the meeting in Liberty Hall.

SIPTU's Dublin Bus branch and members of the National Bus and Rail Union resolved to go ahead with the stoppage which was originally organised to coincide with a planned protest at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports today. That action, however, was called off yesterday.

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/01/22/story130788.html

Fine Gael reacts to strike threats
22/01/2004 - 5:53:19 pm

Fine Gael Transport Spokesman Denis Naughten TD has today warned Seamus Brennan that Dublin's commuters want more buses, not more soundbites.

"If buses in Dublin arrived as frequently as Transport Minister Seamus Brennan's press releases there wouldn't be a problem for Dublin's commuters. Sadly this is not the case," he said.

"As SIPTU issues yet another strike warning, this time for Dublin Bus, it's another nail in the coffin of Seamus Brennan's self-congratulatory record as Transport Minister.

"This week the Minister avoided an Aer Rianta strike by the skin of his teeth. Unofficial industrial action by train drivers in Westport threatens services to and from Mayo. Dublin's commuters can be forgiven if they feel a sense of déjà vu.

"As with Aer Rianta, the main reason for the threat of industrial action is because Minister Brennan won't provide any real details about his proposals."

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0126/transport.html

CIÉ talks 'tough and tense' says Brennan
January 26, 2004

(19:58) The Minister for Transport has described as 'tough and tense' talks with the CIÉ unions aimed at avoiding strikes over plans to break up the company.

Séamus Brennan said all sides had agreed to concentrate on a tight time scale of negotiations to see if issues surrounding the proposals for the future of CIÉ could be resolved. However he conceded the situation was a difficult one.

After the meeting, the General Secretary of ICTU David Begg said Mr Brennan has agreed to consider appointing an independent facilitator to chair talks on CIÉ.

He said the key obstacle that remained between the sides was how the opening of the transport markets can be achieved. He said the unions had put forward their positions and the minister has undertaken to respond within 24 hours.

Mr Begg described today's session as useful.

The SIPTU branch secretary Tony Tobin, reiterated that the unions would oppose the franchising out of any existing CIÉ bus or rail routes.

Victor

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Brennan in talks snub to transport unions after strike delay
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 28th January, 2004

TRANSPORT Minister Seamus Brennan snubbed bus and rail unions yesterday as union chiefs last night backed away from their weekend threats of immediate transport disruption.

After promising a response to the unions' queries on his privatisation plans by noon yesterday, Mr Brennan decided to ignore the Siptu strike committee and his spokesman announced that he might reply within a few days.

The union again backed away from taking action and instead decided to hold another meeting later this week.

Siptu's national industrial secretary Michael Halpenny said the committee expressed "their dissatisfaction and anger at the fact that the minister has undermined the talks process up to now and condemned his failure to respond by today - in accordance with the undertaking given to the trade unions at a meeting in the Department of Transport".

He added that the strike committee would reconvene on Friday to consider his response.

However, this interlude may give Mr Brennan the upper hand to begin his privatisation plans for bus services in the capital.

At a two-hour meeting with union chiefs on Monday the minister had promised to respond to them yesterday morning on their concerns over privatising Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann services later this year.

Siptu's strike committee was left without any response from Mr Brennan when it met at the union's Liberty Hall headquarters yesterday afternoon.

Up to 600 Dublin Bus drivers' jobs may be axed if he pushes through his plans to have one-quarter of the capital's bus services in private hands later this year.

For the past year Siptu and National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) members have been threatening work stoppages but instead held a token "no fares" protest for one day last summer.

Three weeks ago both unions pulled back from a rail strike when Mr Brennan offered talks which were delayed until this week.

After Siptu pulled back from its airport strike last week, the minister may suspect that the unions lack the resolve to take industrial action despite their ballots and mandates secured last year.

Mr Brennan's "get tough" stance came after yesterday's Government meeting leading to suggestions that Cabinet colleagues had advised him to stand firm against union threats. Three weeks ago he was forced to surrender to Aer Rianta staff by promising them effective "jobs for life" guarantees if the company is restructured.

After a year of on-off talks, Mr Brennan may be ready to carry though his pledge, made last April, that he would resist any union threats to ensure his privatisation policy is implemented even if that involved national bus and rail strikes.

Mr Brennan's refusal to clarify his position is a direct challenge to ICTU chief David Begg who has tried to kick-start talks to avoid bus and rail strikes.

After his meeting with the minister on Monday, Mr Begg announced that Mr Brennan would "respond within 24 hours".

CIE workers will have to decide whether the ICTU chief was mistaken or misled.

Gerald Flynn Industrial Correspondent

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/3300431?view=Eircomnet

Privatising bus routes 'would cost more and damage service'
From:ireland.com
Monday, 31st May, 2004

A new transport authority which would auction off bus routes outside Dublin would cost more to run than the current subvention to Bus Éireann, and would result in higher fares and a poorer service, a new report has predicted.

The report also found that the main objective would not be achieved - a shift from private car use to public transport.

The report examines the effect of competitive tendering in Britain and Continental Europe and claims the cost of running a tendering authority would amount to €24 million a year - €2 million more than the current subsidy to Bus Éireann.

The Department of Transport is considering plans for a new transport regulator or authority which would oversee the introduction of competition and allocate routes to potential private operators. The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, is in favour of private sector competition on all bus services.

But Bus Éireann, which commissioned the report, has now been told by its authors that diverting the €22 million annual subsidy, while taking from that company's services, would not improve services generally and would simply be swallowed up by the administration costs of a new authority/regulator.

The report also claims the private sector would "cherry pick" the most profitable routes. Getting buses at off peak times might also prove difficult.

The report states that competitive tendering could lead to a situation where a small number of companies controlled all available routes with remarkable similarity in fare prices, in effect replacing a public sector monopoly with a cartel or a private sector monopoly.

It points out that in Copenhagen in 2003, 90 per cent of the market was in the hands of just three operators. In Helsinki in 2002, some 75 per cent of the market was in the hands of three operators. In France in 2002, 78 per cent of urban transport (excluding Isle de France where services are State owned) was in the hands of three operators. In London in 2002, where the market is worth a billion pounds a year, 87 per cent of the market is in the hands of six operators while in the UK generally 53 per cent of the market is in the hands of three operators.

In Stockholm three operators control 100 per cent of the market.

In addition to creating new additional costs, the report says the new transport authority could "rip an integrated transport network apart and significantly worsen the level of service" and that it "inevitably results in the formation of a cartel/oligopoly (a private monopoly) which cannot be reasonably considered as an improvement on what exists at present".

It says international experience shows that worsening the public network and increasing costs does not support a shift from private to public transport.

"The levels of competitive tension that presently exist in the Irish bus market would be lost under competitive tendering, to be replaced by cartel-type activity. The outcome instead would be the establishment of route/geographic monopolies preventing competition and offering no choice to the consumer," it concludes.

Victor

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/06/08/story151383.html

Union pulls out of Dublin Bus talks
08/06/2004 - 17:40:10

Drivers' representatives tonight pulled out of talks with the Government over the future of Dublin Bus.

The National Bus and Rail Union accused the Department of Transport of failing to honour a commitment to give a definitive response to the CIÉ unions on their concerns about plans to break up the company.

The unions are opposed to Transport Minister Seamus Brennan’s plans to break up CIÉ and privatise up to 25% of Dublin Bus’s existing routes in the capital.

Union General Secretary Liam Tobin said the NBRU executive would hold a special meeting on Saturday to decide whether it would have any future involvement in talks.

“The department has failed to provide us with their definitive response on the future of Dublin Bus that they promised today,” he said.

“This is the third time they have failed to meet their own deadlines and we are now being told that no date can be given because the minister is still discussing the issues with his cabinet colleagues.

“Meanwhile, more and more licences are being issued to private operators, including multinational companies such as First Group.

“Some of our members in Bus Éireann are being told they may be made redundant as a result.

“We entered these talks in good faith and for a time they appeared to be productive, but we are beginning to wonder seriously if we are being strung along while Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus are quietly dismembered. The situation is now quite critical.”

Mr Tobin said the NBRU had been told last month that they would be given a definitive response today on the future of Dublin Bus.

“When we met officials we were told, ‘Sorry, but the minister has not decided what his response will be’,” he said.

“When we asked them for a new date we were told they were not in a position to give us one.

“Given what has been happening with Bus Éireann we feel we have little choice but to call a special meeting of our national executive as soon as possible and decide our next course of action.

“Why the minister needs to consult his cabinet colleagues is a bit of a mystery to us as the Government’s transport policy in the bus sector is not in dispute.

“If the minister wants to do something useful, quickly, he could tighten up the scandalously lax way in which private bus licences are being issued.

“There is no competitive tendering, no conditions imposed on licence holders regarding terms of employment for workers and no social service obligation,” he added.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/business/2004/0610/bus.html

Bus strike looms over licence row
June 10, 2004 15:56

The National Bus and Railworkers' Union has warned that bus and train strikes across the country are 'almost inevitable' because of the Government's proposals to introduce competition in Dublin's bus market.

The union - which represents workers at Dublin Bus - is angry that the Department of Transport last week issued two licences to private bus operators in Dublin.

The NBRU national executive will meet on Saturday morning to make a final decision on taking industrial action.

The union's general secretary Liam Tobin said the move had left the union with few choices. He accused the Minister for Transport Seamus Brennan of failing to deal with workers' concerns. A Department of Transport spokesperson said its officials were available to talk to the NBRU on the issue.

http://www.breakingnews.ie/2004/06/10/story151709.html

NBRU considers position in Dublin bus row
10/06/2004 - 16:43:58

Industrial action could be on the horizon after the Department of Transport confirmed it issued two licences to private bus operators in the Dublin area on June 2.

The National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) have expressed their alarm at the way in which private operators are being allowed to cherry pick schedules on high density routes at peak travel times.

A special meeting of the NBRU executive is due to take place on Saturday morning to discuss their next move.

Last Tuesday the NBRU postponed any further involvement in restructuring talks to review its position after the Department failed to honour a third deadline to respond to the unions.

The new licences were issued on the city centre to CityWest campus and from Sydney Parade DART station to CityWest Spar centre.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/3363363?view=Eircomnet

Union warns transport strike 'almost inevitable'
From:ireland.com
Thursday, 10th June, 2004

A strike at CIE appears "almost inevitable" after the Department of Transport confirmed it had issued two licences to private bus operators earlier this month, a major transport union has warned

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) said the department issued the licences on June 2nd, just six days before the minister was to provide CIE unions with a "definitive response" to their concerns about his plans for the group.

Earlier this week the NBRU postponed its participation in talks with the Department of Transport after the assurances it had sought were not made available at a meeting with officials.

The NBRU said that one of the major concerns of the unions is the way in which private operators are being allowed to "cherry pick" schedules on high-density routes at peak travel times.

A special meeting of the NBRU executive is due to take place on Saturday morning.

NBRU general secretary Mr Liam Tobin said the revelation that the minister had issued two new licences in the Dublin area "will have a very serious impact on our meeting".

"We already have creeping privatisation of Bus Eireann routes but relatively few licences have been issued in the Greater Dublin area. We have now learnt that new licences have been issued to run services from the city centre to City West Campus and from Sydney Parade DART station to City West Spar."

"These buses will be jam packed, but off-peak travellers will have to rely on Dublin Bus for transport. If this is not cherry picking I do not know what is.

"I am surprised at the minister's behaviour, although I suppose I should not be at this stage. We have negotiated in good faith on how to improve services in the best interests of our members and the travelling public only to find that the key asset of Bus Eireann and Dublin Bus, their routes, are being cynically sold out of the back door of the Department," Mr Tobin said.

He said the move by the Department of Transport was "privatisation by stealth" and had nothing to do with improving services in the long-term interest of commuters or on reaching a consensus on the best way forward for public transport.

"What makes the process all the more worrying is the manner in which routes are being handed out. There is no open or competitive tendering. Operators simply approach the Department and take their pick.

"In the circumstances our national executive will have few options when it meets on Saturday but, as we've said before, it looks as if Mr Brennan may get the long hot summer he has been yearning for since April 2003."

A spokesman for Mr Brennan said the Department of Transport was "surprised and disappointed", firstly that the NBRU had pulled out of talks and, secondly, that it was the general public who would suffer yet again in the event of strike action.

He said there had been five straight days of talks in May and, at the end of that process, the unions had made a proposal which had implications for industrial relations reaching far outside the Department of Transport. The unions had been told that the department needed time to respond. He said the department should certainly be in a position to respond before the end of this month.

On the issue of the two new bus licences, the spokesman said the minister was obliged by law to consider any application received and to process it within a specified timescale. This had been reinforced in recent High Court cases. The number of licences actually being issued was relatively small and most of those issued were, in fact, renewals, the spokesman added.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0713/decentralisation.html

Bus Éireann staff reject Mitchelstown move
13 July 2004 21:51

Staff at Bus Éireann's head office in Dublin have said that not one of them intends moving to Co Cork if the Government presses ahead with plans to decentralise the office to Mitchelstown.

The Transport Salaried Staff's Association, representing the clerical and managerial staff, said that if relocation goes ahead, every single member of staff in Bus Éireann's head office will be new.

The union said 85% of Bus Éireann staff already work outside of Dublin, with one in five of the company's staff already working in Co Cork.

Victor

http://www.rte.ie/news/2004/0714/cie.html

Brennan denies U-turn over Dublin bus plan
14 July 2004 15:10

The Minister for Transport, Seamus Brennan, has denied newspaper reports that he has made a U-turn on his plans to open up the Dublin bus market.

Speaking on RTÉ Radio, Mr Brennan said there has been no change in the Government's policy, which continues to be that the bus markets should be opened up to new companies.

He said talks with unions would continue and they would discuss proposals by the Chairman of the Labour Relations Commission, Kevin Foley, who believes there is scope for meeting the objectives of both sides.

Mr Brennan welcomed the transport unions' decision to call off their planned strike action.

http://home.eircom.net/content/unison/national/3589373?view=Eircomnet

Brennan bus plan u-turn averts travel strike chaos
From:The Irish Independent
Wednesday, 14th July, 2004

EMBATTLED Transport Minister Seamus Brennan was last night forced into a major u-turn on plans to privatise Dublin Bus.

He had to do so to avert transport chaos next week.

Bus and Rail union leaders abandoned plans for seven days of escalating strikes after securing what they hailed a major climbdown from the minister on his aim to privatise one quarter of Dublin bus services.

Separately, the transport minister came under more sustained attack over his controversial policy to break-up the state airport body, Aer Rianta.

Fianna Fail leader in the Seanad, Mary O'Rourke, repeated scathing criticisms of the proposal.

She said she hoped Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy will eventually jettison the entire plan early next year.

But while Mr Brennan strongly defended his Aer Rianta proposals, he was forced to back off on his aim of privatising a quarter of bus services in Dublin.

News of the climbdown came just hours after Taoiseach Bertie Ahern assured the social partners that he definitely would not condone any "race to the bottom" which would weaken the pay and conditions of employees.

Among union leaders, Mr Ahern's remarks were seen as a clear signal the Government is anxious to avoid any further unnecessary confrontations with unions in the public sector.

The Taoiseach said: "I see no attraction in the so-called race to the bottom sometimes associated with privatisation and some forms of liberalisation.

He added: "The fact is that decent employment standards are an integral part of what Irish society is about."

That set the scene for a breakthrough in the talks aimed at averting next week's threatened industrial action in the transport sector.

National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) leader Liam Tobin said: "Any proposals for franchising or privatising Dublin Bus services are now gone and there will be no downsizing of Dublin Bus which will be allowed expand with the growing transport market."

Fine Gael transport spokesman Denis Naughten welcomed the lack of disruption of transport services. But he rounded on Mr Brennan.

"Can the public believe anything this man says about transport? He has made announcement after announcement, mostly without ever putting any proposals on paper to the relevant unions."

Labour's transport spokeswoman Roisin Shortall said the breakthrough was a victory for common sense.

Following yesterday's major development in the talks, the NBRU leadership contacted its strike committee members and agreed fresh negotiations.

These involve the establishment of a new Joint Industrial Council to set minimum pay rates and working conditions for all bus and rail services.

A spokesman for the minister confirmed there would be "no diminution of the Dublin Bus fleet or workforce but that does not exclude some swapping of routes in the final mix".

The spokesman said Mr Brennan's main concern is to get "a genuine opening of the market" to attract other bus companies and "the 25pc of Dublin services" remains a target.

Yesterday's agreement safeguards up to 600 Dublin Bus drivers' jobs.

Gerald Flynn, Brian Dowling and Senan Molony

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/topstories/3589105?view=Eircomnet

Bus Eireann staff protest over decentralisation
From:ireland.com
Wednesday, 14th July, 2004

Employees at Bus Éireann headquarters in Dublin protesting against decentralisation yesterday said they woke up one morning to find their jobs advertised on a Department of Transport website.

The protest at The Spire in O'Connell Street by members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) took the form of letting go 81 balloons, representing each job at the HQ.

The HQ's staff are due to be transferred to Mitchelstown, Co Cork, under the decentralisation programme.

The TSSA organiser, Mr Colm Jordan, said the Department wanted to decentralise 200 jobs in the HQ but there were only 81. None of those employees wanted to decentralise.

Bus Éireann staff were one of the most decentralised in the State with 85 per cent of its staff outside Dublin and 21 per cent in Cork, he said. Bus Éireann was a semi-State company and not part of the Civil Service.

Yesterday, employees said they did not want to go to Cork. Ms Lorraine Mason, who has worked for CIÉ and Bus Éireann for 26 years, said: "We woke up one morning and were told our jobs were on the net."

She said she had elderly parents who lived in Dublin and a 17-year-old about to go to college.

"What does the Minister want me to do, just leave him in a rented flat? I'm too committed to move anywhere. They are taking our jobs, our lives, our careers - how dare they," she said.

Ms Frances Gannon is a Dubliner who recently bought a house in Kildare. Her husband also works for Bus Éireann. The Government wanted to move them to a green-field site with no infrastructure, she said. "Politicians make these decisions based on numbers. They are not looking at the people or taking into consideration the human factor. I'm a person, not just a number," she added.

The couple had decided they did not want to move but did not know what would happen. She had worked for 30 years in CIÉ and for the last three years had worked in the HQ in a specialist job. She was doing further training at college for the job.

Ms Gannon said: "It is worrying. My job is on the net. What am I supposed to make of that?"

Mr Tommy Breen, chairman of the TSSA Irish committee, said the decision had been badly thought out and there had been no consultation.

The Government was talking about moving a commercial company in competition with private bus companies, he said.

Victor

http://home.eircom.net/content/irelandcom/breaking/3590553?view=Eircomnet

Brennan denies U-turn on bus privatisation plan
From:ireland.com
Wednesday, 14th July, 2004

The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has dismissed reports he was forced into a U-turn on plans to privatise certain Dublin bus routes in order to avert transport strikes.

Mr Brennan said there was no change in the Government's policy of seeking to liberalise the bus markets and that "neither side had engaged in any U-turns".

Yesterday the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) abandoned plans for a series of strikes claiming the Minister had significantly moved from the position he had held for the past 20 months.

But speaking on RTE Radio this morning Mr Brennan rejected that this was because of a major climbdown on his part.

He said while progress in talks between transport unions and the Department of Transport at the Labour Relations Commission had been made neither side had significantly moved from its position.

He said a letter from the chairman of the talks, Mr Kevin Foley, held out the possibility that the objectives of both sides - protecting Dublin Bus while achieving a "genuine marketing opening" - could be met.

He said Government was still seeking "a genuine market opening to new entrants so the public have choice".

Mr Brennan said he believed "the most efficient way to do that is not naked open market deregulation but a form of competition called franchising".

He said he fully understood the unions' wish to protect their workers and their company but if we don't liberalise the market the EU would.

Mr Brennan said the talks were now dealing with the size of the Dublin bus market and how it is measured - whether this is in kilometres or in bus routes and how fast the market is growing.

"We are down to the level of detail where we can get genuine market opening and at the same time do the best we possibility can do for the existing bus companies," he said.

Fine Gael's transport spokesman Mr Denis Naughten called on the Minister to end the confusion about competition in the Dublin bus market by finally putting all his proposals into the public domain.

Mr Naughton said: "Mr Brennan and the unions appear to have two totally different impressions about what has been agreed.

"Minister Brennan has still not explained why the unions are under the impression that he has performed a u-turn.

"Either the unions have been duped by the Minister, or he's not telling the truth to the general public," he claimed.

"The Minister has said in the past that 25 per cent of routes will be offered to the private sector as franchises, yet today he makes no mention of what proportion will be offered.