Dublin bus to strike on the day of Ireland vs England rugby

JonathanAnon

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

Latchy

Bad omen for the rugby team ( the irish one )

silverharp

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

dont over blow it , its not exactly the London Tube , I'm sure most people wont notice. Can we use the bus lanes?

Serenity Now!

silverharp wrote: »

Can we use the bus lanes?

Brilliant!

limericklad87

same day snow patrol play the O2

FTA69

Boo hoo. "I mean loike, the goys won't get to watch the rugby in Croker. Sack the lot of them roysh".

Because that's the priority isn't it, not peoples' jobs or lives or anything like that. :rolleyes:

Serenity Now!

FTA69 wrote: »

Boo hoo. "I mean loike, the goys won't get to watch the rugby in Croker. Sack the lot of them roysh".

Because that's the priority isn't it, not peoples' jobs or lives or anything like that. :rolleyes:

If you weren't such a plastic class-warrior about this, I'm sure people would agree with you.

bobbyjoe

There will be something on whatever day they pick. I doubt guys worrying about their livelihoods are to worried about Rugby or Snow Patrol fans.

bobbbb

Serenity Now! wrote: »

If you weren't such a plastic class-warrior about this, I'm sure people would agree with you.

I agree.

dlofnep

Good on them. Their career is far more important than some lame sport.

Darragh29

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

What we need now is protestors and loads of them, not people who like yourself who are happy to bend over and to take it over a chair from the government.

Stand for nothing and you'll fall for anything. When you lose your job, who do you expect to stand up for you???

pipsqueak

FTA69 wrote: »

Boo hoo. "I mean loike, the goys won't get to watch the rugby in Croker. Sack the lot of them roysh".

Because that's the priority isn't it, not peoples' jobs or lives or anything like that. :rolleyes:

Eh is the dort not running loike??

Dannyboy83

Best news I've heard all day, nice to see people standing up for themselves:D
Is there something we can do to support them?

If the rest of the country do this, we might get somewhere with TD , Banker paycuts etc.

Any of the people slagging them off for not rolling over and taking it from the politicians without lube, I hope your next on the paycut line.:D


mwah
Dannyboy

silverharp

pipsqueak wrote: »

Eh is the dort not running loike??

dont worry, there a coach going from Koilys

pipsqueak

silverharp wrote: »

dont worry, there a coach going from Koilys

oh roysh, Nice one fiachra!

Kinetic^

At least the taxi folk will be happy.

/insert compulsory roysh......

Zynks

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

Ehmm....it is also a Saturday. I would've thought that would have less impact on the economy than if they had the strike on a weekday.

AlekSmart

Just to elaborate a little on the Strike decision.

Up until yesterday all that was in place was a mandate for Industrial action,up to and including strike action in furtherance of the Employee`s dispute with the company in relation to unilateral changes in the basic terms and conditions of Busdrivers employment.

Up until yesterday there was a belief and even a hope that some form of agreement could be reached to allow for the resumption of the (up until now) normal channels of Industrial Relations negotiation in Dublin Bus.

However at a meeting between Minister Dempsey and a SIPTU delegation (16th Feb) it became apparent that the Minister is of the view that he has no role to play in resolving what is now a vast rift in the previously long standing negotiation process.

For example,there are many Dublin Bus routes where Drivers and Supervisors have long standing requests for new schedules (Bills) which have been constantly refused by middle management on the grounds of complexity and availability of resources needed to draw up the new Bill.

Oddly enough,in the immediate aftermath of the Deloitte Report,staff found themselves furnished with brand new bills,fully drafted with duty losses to the fore.

This in itself was an incredible feat of engineering which appears to raise a serious question mark over the company`s past practices in the same area.

Anyway,returning to the Ministers tour de force re Dublin Bus,Mr Dempsey appears to be somewhat poorly informed as to the reality of Public Transport operation relying,it appears,on a few highly placed Departmental Officers for his knowledge.

He was unaware that the company had already been down the Deloitte road of super-corridors only to have to abandon that concept in response to customer demand for services to go deeper into the many ill-planned resedential estates that are another of Fianna Fail`s legacies to Ireland.

It also appears he was oddly reluctant to discuss specifics of the Deloitte Report,giving rise to speculation on the Union side that they were sitting across from yet another Tabloid Government Minister,ie: one who looks at the pictures rather than reads the captions.

His only statement of worth was a rousing one,a throwing down of the gauntlet even......"I`m prepared to take the political hit on this"

Well Noel,that may be very laudable,even desireable,but before you embark on this voyage take a look around your own back benches and ask yourself if your fellow FF Cabinet Colleagues and Back Bench members are prepared to take the hit along with you ?

Soldie

Dublin Bus doesn't even deserve to be in business anyway so it's no skin off my nose.

Erin Go Brath

Zynks wrote: »

Ehmm....it is also a Saturday. I would've thought that would have less impact on the economy than if they had the strike on a weekday.

They will also be striking on 9th and 10th of March which is a Monday and Tuesday. I suspect they partially picked the 28th deliberately because its a big rugby day in Croker and a bus strike that day will cause maximum chaos in town, and thus get their point across more effectively, and more publicity for them.

Sad to see some people concerned more with being a bit put out than having any solidarity with the workers. To quote an old lottery catchphrase It could be you.

mickoneill30

Erin Go Brath wrote: »

Sad to see some people concerned more with being a bit put out than having any solidarity with the workers. To quote an old lottery catchphrase It could be you.

What will the strike achieve? Will it make Dublin Bus magically get the money to afford the people they're laying off?

I agree that Dublin Bus is essential and that the government should be allocating money for it. But I suppose if they did that they'd have to allocate similar percentages to the private operators (which doesn't sound like a bad idea to me). I've no idea where that could come from though. I don't think a strike is going to figure it out.

It could be me alright. And I'd say my job is on the way out. But Dublin Bus striking or me striking (when the time comes) is not going to help me.

Erin Go Brath

mickoneill30 wrote: »

What will the strike achieve? Will it make Dublin Bus magically get the money to afford the people they're laying off?

I agree that Dublin Bus is essential and that the government should be allocating money for it. But I suppose if they did that they'd have to allocate similar percentages to the private operators. I've no idea where that could come from though. I don't think a strike is going to figure it out.

It could be me alright. And I'd say my job is on the way out. But Dublin Bus striking or me striking (when the time comes) is not going to help me.

People have the right to stand up for their jobs and their liveliehood. Why should they meekly stand aside while Government largesse and incompetence which was largely responsible for the mess we are currently in goes unpunished? On Prime Time the other night the smug look on Conor Lenihans face when it was put to him that that TDs should get a 50% reduction in pay really pissed me off. It was as if to say, yeh like theres two chances of that happening. They do nothing to deserve such a huge salary which they have happily voted to increase several times over the past few years. A 50% pay cut for TDs could well go towards saving many jobs in Dublin bus. But do they have the national interest at heart? You bet they don't!

Serenity Now!

The primary purpose of Dublin Bus is to provide a means of transport in the city. Not employment.
A lot of these sanctimonious pseudo-class warriors posting on the subject seem to forget this (maybe conveniently so?).

If my employer decides to scalp jobs, striking isn't going to make them change their mind.
Nothing can be belie the economic fact to the organisation that they might (in such a case) need to cut staff from their books.
You can't force someone to employ you.

Despite slight improvement over the past few years, its services are probably the worst in Western Europe by a country mile (certainly the worst I've ever witnessed anyway) and I wouldn't be surprised if it was sieving money like no tomorrow.
If Dublin Bus have to shed some routes to make it more viable to run then so be it.
Next undertaking should be to teach drivers who are still with them the f**king rules of the road!

MiniD

Erin Go Brath wrote: »

I suspect they partially picked the 28th deliberately because its a big rugby day in Croker and a bus strike that day will cause maximum chaos in town, and thus get their point across more effectively, and more publicity for them.

February 28th is the day Dublin Bus plans to sack almost 300 drivers. I would say this is the primary reason for choosing that day. Regardless of what day they choose, the loss of the bus service will have a massive impact on the city.

gandalf

Public Services like transport should be subject to legislation that makes it illegal to strike. How the hell are we going to get out of the mess we are in when vital services are allowed be held to ransom to union whims.

The Corinthian

Personally I support the right to strike, where there is no other means of achieving fair equity between a company and its employees. It's unfortunate that this is necessary upon occasion, but necessary it can be and as such should not be rejected out of hand.

However, the problem with Dublin Bus going on strike is that it is Dublin Bus. As far as public transport is concerned, I can safely say that it is the worst I have ever come across. No doubt. Even ATAC, the bane of any Roman commuter, is significantly better, and it's one of the worst ones. There are no timetables to speak of; those that we have give laughable approximations of times that are seldom respected - even at a terminus, and any attempt to improve this - logging times or putting up displays giving ETA's - have consistently been blocked by the unions. Go to any other European capital and these have long been the norm.

In short, Dublin Bus has long been run for the benefit of its employees, not for the benefit of commuters and as a result, even if they have genuine grievances, the workers there will not get a lot of sympathy from the public. Neither do they deserve it - you reap what you sow, after all.

ixoy

Whatever about the Saturday, striking on weekdays will mean many people will have great trouble getting into work. This surely will have an economic effect, especially with many businesses struggling as is, notwithstanding the fact that Dublin Bus will lose even more money from these strikes... Can't see them garnering much sympathy for the 9th or 10th strikes.

2qk4u

It does not matter what day the strike is on, someone will loose out. As said above, its about time people stand up for them selves, we have takin too much crap in this country for way too long. look at the upcoming demonstrations and they are for different reasons, bus drivers - taxi drivers - nurses - doctors - gardai - and im sure there will be more.
I can live with some demos if it puts this government in its place and gets the country back on track. Stop being selfish and support the workers. If anyone is worried about getting to a rugby match or to work there are alternatives, use them...

Singer73

I would almost drive around the city, giving people lifts, to show how little I can support this action. Being a member of a union myself, I am appalled at how cowardly and selfishly the unions are behaving. Ranting and raving about the fact that it was "not us, it was the bankers who caused this" is not going to solve anything...

gandalf

bus drivers - Extremely inefficient and providing a bad service and want to keep the status quo - the general public lose out again.

taxi drivers - Protesting because after years of gouging the masses they have to compete in an open market.

nurses - Actually I don't begrudge them as the HSE is a complete and utter mess and the funds that should be going to the front line are caught up in a bloated inefficient middle manage fat layer. Time to put it on a diet.

doctors - apart from Junior Doctors they are overpaid and over valued

gardai - What are they protesting about the fact they don't get as much lunch money as they used to at Dublin Airport for example :rolleyes:

The one thing I would say is it is time to remove the boards of most of these semi-state organisations and replace the political appointees with actual experienced business people and bring them in line with the 21st Century. The board of CIE/Dublin Bus would be one of the first in line.

gandalf

Did someone delete or amend their post?

Dyr

Maybe if they hadn't been so strike happy in the past then people would be willing to rely on public transport and 200 of them wouldn't be losing their jobs.

But sackage of the govt. appointed carpet baggers on the board would certainly help

grahamo

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

Obviously not been in the workforce very long.:rolleyes:
They don't get paid while on strike. They are given a small allowance by their union.
Why should the Dublin Bus workers stand by while their colleagues lose their livelihoods in a feeble attempt to fix a mess caused by incompetent moneymen and TD's.
Power to the People. I'll be supporting them.
I hope the upper echelons of this banana republic are brought to their knees in the next few months!

Paddy Samurai

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

As "Big Jim" used to say "let the Brit fcukers walk".:eek:
The rest of you can get a lift in "Daddys Car":D

ixoy

grahamo wrote: »

[/B]Why should the Dublin Bus workers stand by while their colleagues lose their livelihoods in a feeble attempt to fix a mess caused by incompetent moneymen and TD's.

But how will the strike solve anything? How will it solve the financial issues at DB and Bus Eireann? How will it increase the company's take so that they can afford not to fire these workers? It's all well and good having principles, but it doesn't change the fact they can't afford them and walking around, waving a placard, doesn't generate the required revenue to resolve the issue: Do you honestly think a company can keep affording to make a loss? Or will the strike be supplemented by alternate and viable cost-cutting measures or profit-generating concepts?

DARKIZE

Erin Go Brath wrote: »

People have the right to stand up for their jobs and their liveliehood.

I think there's actually a hidden agenda here - DB are striking because they want to choose the manner in which the redundancy is managed. Most of the drivers in the firing line are recent recruits and still on probation - hence not entitled to redundancy payments. The union wants a voluntary program open to senior drivers, which will obviously cost a hell of a lot more and no doubt would be well padded.

Dyr

grahamo wrote: »

[/B]

Why should the Dublin Bus workers stand by while their colleagues lose their livelihoods in a feeble attempt to fix a mess caused by incompetent moneymen and TD's.

because their own behavior is one of the reasons that they're now losing their jobs?

Paddy Samurai

ixoy wrote: »

But how will the strike solve anything? How will it solve the financial issues at DB and Bus Eireann? How will it increase the company's take so that they can afford not to fire these workers? It's all well and good having principles, but it doesn't change the fact they can't afford them and walking around, waving a placard, doesn't generate the required revenue to resolve the issue: Do you honestly think a company can keep affording to make a loss? Or will the strike be supplemented by alternate and viable cost-cutting measures or profit-generating concepts?

Tally ho! old bean.Quite right!.Damn peasants cluttering up the streets and exercising their right to protest. I say Ooofy pass me another sherry ,and lets watch some rugger What!.

ixoy

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

Tally ho! old bean.Quite right!.Damn peasants cluttering up the streets and exercising their right to protest. I say Ooofy pass me another sherry ,and lets watch some rugger What!.

How about actually addressing the issue? I couldn't care less about rugby, but I'm trying to see the point of the strike or what they're hoping to achieve with it: No redundancies, handle them differently, what is their aim? Are they presenting a plan to increase profitability? Just marching to let their dissatisfaction be known isn't going to change the cold financial truthes, but maybe alternate proposals might.

Hagar

So, they can bugger up Joe Public AND have a day off to go to the match.
Say what you like but they are not stupid.

mountainyman

JonathanAnon wrote: »

What a shower of opportunist f**kers. last thing that the economy needs. Should fire any of them that dont show up for work. Or at least dock their pay for the day.

Rubbish. Croke park is near mainline train and luas links. The bus drivers are trying to imporve the bus service. fair play to tehm!

gandalf

mountainyman wrote: »

Rubbish. Croke park is near mainline train and luas links. The bus drivers are trying to imporve the bus service. fair play to tehm!

I don't see how having no service and making people more wary of relying on public transport is improving the service?

djpbarry

limericklad87 wrote: »

same day snow patrol play the O2

Fortunately, neither of their fans will be in the country that day. Or exist.

thomasj

gandalf wrote: »

I don't see how having no service and making people more wary of relying on public transport is improving the service?

Okay maybe not best put but they are striking against the cuts against their jobs which is going to result in cuts in services.

Blanchardstown have been waiting on improvements and changes to services nearly a year and this has been held up by the DOT and now cutbacks coming to euro services. Swords and Lucan have had the same delays of planned improvements.

The 128 bus route should be a testimony as to how things could work out for the better shuld proper planning and consideration put into services.

Anyone notice that the day after these cutbacks were made dempsey made a statement to overhaul the bus network and now its just "radical reform and cost cutting measures"

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnsneyojcw/

Transport Minister Noel Dempsey has said Ireland's bus services need radical reform, including cost-cutting measures.

Mr Dempsey was speaking before the Oireachtas transport committee this morning.

He said passenger numbers on bus services were falling and savings needed to be made.

Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann are already headed for confrontation with their workers over a plan to shed almost 600 jobs and remove hundreds of buses from service.

They say the measures are needed in order to avoid massive losses this year.

Critics, however, say the decision flies in the face of the Government's stated policy of boosting public transport.

The National Bus and Railworkers Union has announced plans to mount a series of strikes in the coming weeks to protest against the cuts.

Paddy Samurai

ixoy wrote: »

but I'm trying to see the point of the strike or what they're hoping to achieve with it: No redundancies, handle them differently, what is their aim? Are they presenting a plan to increase profitability? Just marching to let their dissatisfaction be known isn't going to change the cold financial truthes, but maybe alternate proposals might.

Weather you see the point or not is irrelevant.Obvisiously these guys feel strongly enough about this issue to protest about it.It is their right to protest against perceived wrongs and weather its inconvient or not is beside the point.People who protest generally upset other people its the norm.Maybe the only point of the strike is just to show how pissed off they are,and if thats the case fair play to them.;)
As for the others get on your bike or walk.

PS:One thing that strikes(no pun intended) me is that people who are saying "you can't operate a company at a loss" are wrong in this particular case.The EU is hitting Ireland with massive fines on carbon emmissions,the losses of bus eireinn are miniscule in comparison.We could afford to operate even more buses at a loss if it reduced our carbon emmission and took more people out of their cars.fines.

djpbarry

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

Weather you see the point or not is irrelevant.Obvisiously these guys feel strongly enough about this issue to protest about it.It is their right to protest against perceived wrongs and weather its inconvient or not is beside the point.

That's a ridiculous statement. So people's right to strike should not be questioned, regardless of what it is they are protesting about?

holly1

Paddy Samurai wrote: »

Tally ho! old bean.Quite right!.Damn peasants cluttering up the streets and exercising their right to protest. I say Ooofy pass me another sherry ,and lets watch some rugger What!.

Im with dublin bus or anyone else who can stand up for the right not to be used and abused, as these 300 workers are being showen such contempt why shouldent they stand up for their right to work.
Whats the big snobbery thing going on about rugby fans,we are not all from D4 you know,dont all speak like that or like sherry for that matter(much prefer champers:D).
I think people will get around town no prob that day,and hope they show support for workers who are only looking fortheir right to a decent livelyhood.

gandalf

thomasj wrote: »

Okay maybe not best put but they are striking against the cuts against their jobs which is going to result in cuts in services.

Oh I am aware of the cuts in service. But I am also talking about the reliability of that service. Striking just re-enforces an awful lot of peoples impression that the public transports systems cannot be relied upon therefore they don't use it and there is less revenue being taken in. Then more jobs go, they strike again and the cycle continues.

Blanchardstown have been waiting on improvements and changes to services nearly a year and this has been held up by the DOT and now cutbacks coming to euro services. Swords and Lucan have had the same delays of planned improvements.

The 128 bus route should be a testimony as to how things could work out for the better shuld proper planning and consideration put into services.

Anyone notice that the day after these cutbacks were made dempsey made a statement to overhaul the bus network and now its just "radical reform and cost cutting measures"

http://www.breakingnews.ie/ireland/mhsnsneyojcw/

Well if Dublin Bus are unable to carry out their remit and provide a decent public transport system the time has come to allow private firms to take up the slack. This isn't happening because the same unions that are taking 3 days of revenue from Dublin Bus are also blocking freeing up of routes for private firms.

The concept of Public Transport and Public Services are totally alien to the unions obviously.

OhNoYouDidn't

gandalf wrote: »

Public Services like transport should be subject to legislation that makes it illegal to strike. How the hell are we going to get out of the mess we are in when vital services are allowed be held to ransom to union whims.

Its hardly a whim - its the day 300 drivers are laid off in a clear violation of government policy.

People whinging about the 'economic impact' of buses being pulled for the day are obviously oblivious to the impact of a 25% cut in bus services in the capital.

dragonfly!

bobbyjoe wrote: »

There will be something on whatever day they pick. I doubt guys worrying about their livelihoods are to worried about Rugby or Snow Patrol fans.

True but there is now a real possibility that i wont be able to go to this gig after looking forward to it since october...:mad:

OhNoYouDidn't

Hagar wrote: »

So, they can bugger up Joe Public AND have a day off to go to the match.
Say what you like but they are not stupid.

So you missed the bit about 300 drivers being let go that day?