Get ready for traffic chaos, all out Dublin Bus strike

RATM

Dublin Bus are to go on an all out strike starting March 1st.

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0218/breaking62.htm

Drivers at Dublin Bus have voted for all-out strike from midnight on March 1st in protest at the company's decision to cut jobs and bus routes throughout the city.

The Dublin Bus Branch of trade union Siptu decided today to implement the mandate received from drivers.

Siptu said the strike action was not just for one day only but would be "continuous" as it was apparent that "no alternative course of action is left open to SIPTU drivers in Dublin Bus to protect their conditions of employment in the company".

"Siptu members employed as drivers in Dublin Bus voted last week for industrial action to commence in

circumstances where management implemented cost cutting measures without adhering to agreed dispute resolution procedures. SIPTU has not been afforded any opportunity by Dublin Bus management to address the proposals and to protect employment conditions for bus drivers," the union said in a statement





I just pity those who don't own cars and depend on Dublin Bus to get them to work so they can keep down their jobs, especially as employers are seeking to lay off staff.
Not sure if Bus Eireann are going to follow suit but don't be surprised if they do:eek:

phasers

What about the other union that only voted for 3 days of strikes?

m5ex9oqjawdg2i

Would they ever GTFO...

Dont be at yourself

I imagine the traffic will flower more freely in Dublin than it has in years as a result of this strike.

brennaldo

this is gona be some pain in the a-hole, i use the bus alot

PirateShampoo

Can i use the bus lane?

Ass

Dublin Bus drivers are ok in general. I've had very few bad experiences with them. It's the fucking muppets who are running the whole show that are the problem. They keep knocking the price of the fares up with out telling anyone.

phasers

Has anybody ever seen the bus driver that looks exactly like Bill Bailey? He's usually on the 51B. What a legend

Show_me_Safety

i hope it doesnt put ideas into dart drivers heads.

Sweet! More room in the cyclebus lane so.

I heard Dempsey say Dublin Bus will crack any minute purple monkey dishwasher.

Biggins

Guess it will be harder to get a taxi that day(s).
Some of them must be quietly smiling.

bugger, I use the bus for work...

Show_me_Safety

Myth wrote: »

Sweet! More room in the cyclebus lane so.

I heard Dempsey say Dublin Bus will crack any minute purple monkey dishwasher.

i hope they don't give in...nobody is immune to this.

if strikes were to happen at every company who had to make cutbacks...
they're only doing it because they know that they'll prob get what they want.

time to set an example gov't!
rather late then never...or allsorts will be doing it soon.

Show_me_Safety

how are people actually gonna get to work?

if they dont drive, too far to walk, dont have a bike or whatever?

mp3guy

Damn, it's just at the start of rag week and all. I don't fancy drunk cycling

Show_me_Safety

Show_me_Safety wrote: »

how are people actually gonna get to work?

if they dont drive, too far to walk, dont have a bike or whatever?

Beg lifts, maybe taxis *shudder*

Tipsy Mac

Why don't the drivers do their job as normal and refuse to handle customers fares, this will result in free transport for the day, will keep the public on side and may actually bring more people on to buses in the future, win win situation.

Chanandler Bong

Show_me_Safety wrote: »

how are people actually gonna get to work?

if they dont drive, too far to walk, dont have a bike or whatever?

Yeah i'm royally f###ed for gettin to college in the morning!

SoWatchaWant

The whole country is on strike. I can't hear myself study every second day, being so close to Kildare Street.

Biggins

Tipsy Mac wrote: »

Why don't the drivers do their job as normal and refuse to handle customers fares, this will result in free transport for the day, will keep the public on side and may actually bring more people on to buses in the future, win win situation.

Legally, the drivers would be breaking their employment contract and their subsequent incorporated expected duties.

By sticking with more legal methods, they make their protest.

Stercus Accidit

I ****ing hate these unions.

Its extortion, a mafia, a cartel, nothing more, and we suffer legally at their whims.


RECESSION LADS, people lose their jobs, wake up and deal with it like everyone else will have too.

arse..biscuits

I support the bus drivers on this. Fair f**ks to them for standing up

Eoin

Ass wrote: »

Dublin Bus drivers are ok in general. I've had very few bad experiences with them. It's the fucking muppets who are running the whole show that are the problem. They keep knocking the price of the fares up with out telling anyone.

If they were cool, they could protest by not taking fares, instead of having stoppages that will fùck things up for thousands upon thousands of people. Edit - just read Biggins' post which I suppose makes sense.

trout

arse..biscuits wrote: »

I support the bus drivers on this. Fair f**ks to them for standing up

So ...will you be OK for getting to work / school / college / wherever without the bus ?

What about people who have no alternative ?

Mossy Monk

Can't imagine much traffic chaos where I am seeing as the bus service available is as good as one that is non existant.

FlutterinBantam

arse..biscuits wrote: »

I support the bus drivers on this. Fair f**ks to them for standing up

standing up for what???

A company losing money has the right to try to reverse that situation.

It happens everyday of the week.

It would appear to me you are neither a taxpayer or a stakeholder .

State your interest here Sir.!!

phasers

FlutterinBantam wrote: »

standing up for what???

A company losing money has the right to try to reverse that situation.

It happens everyday of the week.

It would appear to me you are neither a taxpayer or a stakeholder .

State your interest here Sir.!!

Taxi Driver?

xOxSinéadxOx

I don't care cos where I live there are now ****ing buses!

FlutterinBantam

phasers wrote: »

Taxi Driver?

probably right.

Will be absolutely amazed, gobsmacked, bent out of shape and fcuked, if anyone has the stupidity to go on all out strike in these times.

If they go out leave them out , that would be my opinion.

cannot see it happening, few war horses in the union rattling sabres.

Gummy Panda

Biggins wrote: »

Legally, the drivers would be breaking their employment contract and their subsequent incorporated expected duties.

By sticking with more legal methods, they make their protest.

Can you not do it under some work to rule protest or something?

John Mason

looks like an hour and forty mins. to work for me so and strangly enough the same home

looks like college is going to out too

the lazy bastards.

i think it should be mandatory that all union members should be shot on sight

the unions are destroying my company at the moment - **** the lot of them

FlutterinBantam

Thats what this is PFB, some union heads trying to make a name for themselves.

Don't worry wiser heads will prevail, it will not happen.

colly10

arse..biscuits wrote: »

I support the bus drivers on this. Fair f**ks to them for standing up

What do ye mean fair ****s to them, it doesn't take guts to stand up, this **** is happening to everyone, thats the way it is
All their doing is ****ing people over, I probably won't keep my job either but im not going to strike about it, its the same for everyone.

They will loose 100m this year if they don't make cuts, what company would accept a loss like that. People are getting the bullet from profitable companies so what would you expect?

My name is Mud

colly10 wrote: »

What do ye mean fair ****s to them, it doesn't take guts to stand up, this **** is happening to everyone, thats the way it is
All their doing is ****ing people over, I probably won't keep my job either but im not going to strike about it, its the same for everyone.

They will loose 100m this year if they don't make cuts, what company would accept a loss like that. People are getting the bullet from profitable companies so what would you expect?

Deloitte had a few recommendations on Dublin Bus...

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0126/breaking75.htm

As did the *ahem* Greens

http://www.greenparty.ie/news/latest_news/bus_service_reform_not_cuts_the_way_forward_for_dublin_bus

Personally, I think in recession times public transport should be improved. Its the key to keeping an economy buoyant. Move people around fast and efficiently.

RoundTower

Biggins wrote: »

Legally, the drivers would be breaking their employment contract and their subsequent incorporated expected duties.

By sticking with more legal methods, they make their protest.

the guards were able to claim they were "sick" so they could take a few days paid leave make a protest. The bus drivers could all claim "my coin machine is broken" for a day.

pebbles21

Bring in the army and let the cnuts live off their strike pay !

wonder how long it would be then before they come crawling back!

The guy

brennaldo wrote: »

this is gona be some pain in the a-hole, i use the bus alot

You're not the only one, I hope it doesn't last long.

bobbiw

It makes me sick, people at Waterford crystal get laid off so they dont leave the lobby.

Taxi drivers moaning that there isint enough work.

Now the bus drivers are told that they are going to lay off a few people so they all go on strike.

Who is supposed to keep funding Dublin Bus, the tax payer?,

Well when unemployment is 10-15% there will be no money to pay the dole, so tax increases are certain.

Dublin Bus needs to stand its ground, see how many will be out on strike when they dont get paid for a month. They should be harder and just fire double what they said they would.

they could also say that anyone who strikes will be fired and will not receive any severance.

mikemac

Huh, first I read about 3 days of strikes and then tonight I hear "open-ended" which seems to be code for strike until someone backs down.
Make up your mind and communicate clearly!

Someone mentioned strike pay?
Not in a union myself so I don't know what that is

Will the union be supporting all the striking staff, not full wages but a few quid every week?
Because if not and this drags on then who realy can be afford be without pay for weeks & weeks? Some can, many can't!

CreepingDeath

Well, at least the bus strike will help the governments target of getting people to use bicycles.

punchdrunk

I live in swords,and i don't drive...
how the fcuk will i get to work?

partyatmygaff

punchdrunk wrote: »

I live in swords,and i don't drive...
how the fcuk will i get to work?

More likely than not, you aswell as a good few other thousand will not get to work for a few days until you get some form of transport sorted out. so thats another blow to the economy.
All thanks to some bastards in SIPTU :mad:

book smarts

Get a bicycle

Dragan

I love it. Every bus driver from now till then is being asked "Are you looking forward to the strike? I am. Yeah, i won't have to go to work, because i won't be able to get there. Awesome, right? Rescession on and here are you guys, largely unwilling to face up to the same reality that we all have to, less jobs and less money in the country right now, you may have heard about it, so your solution is to strike and as a result will most likely cost a lot of people there jobs. It must be nice to have a Union that really works solely for your interests as oppossed to accepting the truth and working out early retirement and voluntary redundancies,job share options and stuff like that. You know, the proper way to deal with things to actual benefit this ailing country. Also, when are you gonna jack up the prices again? I mean, we must be due an increase by now...right? Yeeaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!".

It's all written out on a card i keep in my wallet, so it's not different each time i say it.

Collie D

NekkidBibleMan wrote: »

I imagine the traffic will flower more freely in Dublin than it has in years as a result of this strike.

Not a hope in hell. I remember the last bus strike in 2000. Left my house in Coolock just after seven to be in work at eight and arrived in city centre at around ten. Mayhem!

The last industrial action the drivers took was only a couple of years ago and instead of going on strike they did just refuse to take fares from the passengers. Why not do that this time around? It makes their point to management without inconveniencing the general public. Can't be bad for garnering public support either.

markpb

CreepingDeath wrote: »

Well, at least the bus strike will help the governments target of getting people to use bicycles.

Except that they're likely to suspend the bus lanes so everyone can use them which means the cycle lanes will be full of car drivers making it more unsafe than ever.

John Mason

Collie D wrote: »

The last industrial action the drivers took was only a couple of years ago and instead of going on strike they did just refuse to take fares from the passengers. Why not do that this time around? It makes their point to management without inconveniencing the general public. Can't be bad for garnering public support either.

because they are just lazy bastards who dont want to work in the first place, this is just an excuse for a extra days off work

markpb

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

because they are just lazy bastards who dont want to work in the first place, this is just an excuse for a extra days off work

That's an idiotic comment. Apart from any support they receive from their union, their strike day will be unpaid.

Rb

pink fluffy bunny wrote: »

because they are just lazy bastards who dont want to work in the first place, this is just an excuse for a extra days off work

Exactly.

Contrary to what people would like to believe, buses aren't late due to traffic (their timetables are drawn aligned with the "traffic schedule"), it's because they're lazy f*cks who spent too long reading the paper at the terminal.

Now they're looking for some time off and in the hope that it saves jobs?

F*ck 'em.

Curlypinkie

Hold on,
Why all these negative reactions??
What has the recession to do with Dublin bus? At all... AT ALL????
They increased fares, they "invested" in new buses (can anyone see the difference??) and now they're using the r-word as an excuse to keep the very likely high salaries their bosses are being kept with and sack the low paid drivers and reduce an already sh*te route coverage?

It will be difficult for me to get to work but I support them 100%.
If a lot more of Irish people protested when was needed, we wouldn't have the severe economical situation we do at the moment.

People- CAR POOL is a word that's well known in other parts of Europe, I've used it here as well to the confusion of my co-workers at the time. So no, it's not something exotic.

GO Dublin bus drivers!!!

beth-lou

Collie D wrote: »

Not a hope in hell. I remember the last bus strike in 2000. Left my house in Coolock just after seven to be in work at eight and arrived in city centre at around ten. Mayhem!

You would have walked that in an hour, or you could have walked to the dart station in Raheny in half an hour.

It will be tough, but if you can, walk or cycle or car pool with your neighbour.

As far as the strike goes, well no one wants to lose their job, but it is an unfortunate reality of the the times we are in. Every industry is suffering, everyone is touched by it in some way. I don't understand why the public sector think that they should be immune while the rest of us get with the programme as uncomfortable as that my be.
In the next few days I am going to hear whether my job is safe or not. Most likely I will go on three day week, at best. My other half is working but is in construction and his job is not secure. This is what most of us are living with. Why should the public sector go untouched? Because the Unions say so. Unions have their place, but sometimes they do more harm than good. And who pays the public sectors wages? We do with our taxes. Less people working means less tax revenue, which means less money to pay public sector workers and more people becoming dependent on the state.

The public sector have to take a hit as well. We all do, until someone has a brainwave and can pull usout of this **** storm. It's time to get real and get with the programme.