[Article] Bus Éireann faces industrial action

Victor

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2009/0619/breaking59.htm

Bus Éireann faces industrial action
MARTIN WALL, Industry Correspondent

Around 70,000 passengers who use Bus Éireann services daily face the prospect of industrial action at the company after management said that it intended to implement unilaterally a controversial cost-saving plan from the end of this month.

Under the cost-recovery programme, about 320 jobs at the company would go with around 50 routes initially either being scrapped or having their level of frequency reduced.

The company is also planning to introduce revised terms and conditions for staff including the deferral of payment of the national wage agreement, changes to shift allowances, increased flexibility regarding working arrangements, reduction in overtime and the withdrawal of compensation for loss of earnings and disturbance allowance.

The company told trade unions today that it would be unilaterally implementing the plan, which is aimed at saving €25 million, after a deadline it had set passed without agreement.

Bus Éireann said in a statement that due to the economic downturn which had seen passenger numbers fall by 10 per cent, that it was currently losing more than €500,000 per week.

It said that it now had “no choice but to take action to address these losses as quickly as possible in order to protect as many services and jobs as possible, while returning the company to a position of financial strength”.

The company said that changes to terms and conditions for staff would come into effect from June 29th.

“Changes to service levels will begin on July 5th 2009 and be phased in over a period of time. Customers on routes where changes are to take place will be informed in advance of the changes coming into effect. In making these changes we will look to minimise the impact on our customers," it said.

“The majority of these changes will involve either reductions in the frequency of a service or a change in its route. Some services that are not economically viable in the current economic environment will be withdrawn and in such instances we will try to ensure that an alternative service is available to the small number of customers affected in their general area.”

It is understood that the company intends to reduce the number of drivers in tandem with the withdrawal or changes to services under a limited voluntary redundancy scheme.

Around 220 drivers could go as part of the overall cost-cutting programme.

It is understood that the company is prepared to offer a severance package of statutory plus one week’s pay per year of service to drivers volunteering to leave along the lines of a similar scheme introduced in Dublin Bus.

It is understood that if the €25 million in savings sought in the first phase of the recovery programme are not delivered that a review of the frequency of a further 47 routes will be carried out by the company.

Siptu sectoral organiser, Andrew McCarthy said tonight that the company appeared to be in complete breach of procedures in place for dealing with disputes.

He said that if management did not adhere to the agreed procedures the union may have no choice but to ballot members at Bus Éireann for strike action.

Labour spokesman on transport Tommy Broughan said the cuts would be shocking news for commuters.

"It is astonishing that this level of cutbacks are being planned for Bus Eireann given that the government commissioned Deloitte and Touche report in effect recently gave the company a clean bill of health and described it as 'largely efficient' with 'limited' scope for 'significant cost savings," he said.

"Public bus networks and services are being decimated around the country. The savage scale of Bus Eireann cutbacks will particularly hit senior citizens and other vulnerable citizens in rural areas given the already existing massive rural public transport gap."

he called on the Minister for Transport, Noel Dempsey, to intervene.

lucernarian

Does anyone have an idea what routes in particular are going to be hit yet?? I believe the trade unions have been informed, if what I read up there, and what I've read on rte, is true!

Gekko

there was a list of routes published in yesterday's Irish Independent.

I'm most annoyed as the bus route that goes by my door will no longer be in service.

Victor

The suggestion is that a lot of routes would finish at 7pm.

jkmanc1974

Gekko wrote: »

there was a list of routes published in yesterday's Irish Independent.

I'm most annoyed as the bus route that goes by my door will no longer be in service.

Cant find this on their website, can someone publish if possible?

Brgds
Johnny

KC61

I suspect that what BE are talking about in Cork and the other cities will be merging routes after 7pm rather than completely withdrawing services from certain areas.

Note the quote from the BE spokesman:

“The majority of these changes will involve either reductions in the frequency of a service or a change in its route. Some services that are not economically viable in the current economic environment will be withdrawn and in such instances we will try to ensure that an alternative service is available to the small number of customers affected in their general area.”

As yet the actual service plans have not been officially announced. What have been discussed in the papers are some of the service curtailments, but not the service amendments to take account of re-routings etc., details of which seem to be coming from the unions.

In a similar vein to the changes at Dublin Bus where the unions were for example claiming that certain services were being scrapped without commenting on the service amendments (e.g routes 90 and 92), I would suggest that we will have to wait until Bus Eireann start officially announcing the amendments before passing judgement.

lucernarian

I've seen some drops of info about places like cork and dundalk garages with threatened strike action, in local papers. But searching around the internet has no specifics about the proposed cutbacks.

If there's specifics out there beyond >7pm reductions, please let us know. Thanks.

KC61

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2009/0626/1224249571921.html

Bus Éireann strike action averted as sides agree to talks


MARTIN WALL, Industry Correspondent
THE THREAT of industrial action at Bus Éireann from next week has been averted following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).

The strike, which could have affected up to 70,000 passengers daily, centred on proposals by management to introduce a controversial new cost-containment programme without agreement.

Bus Éireann said that it had accepted an invitation from the LRC to attend a meeting next week to facilitate negotiations on its cost-saving programme.

The company said that it would be deferring the implementation of its cost-saving programme, which it had planned to introduce from next week, pending the outcome of the new talks.

The general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), Michael Faherty told The Irish Times that his union had put off the planned industrial action to allow for the new talks at the LRC to take place. In a statement yesterday NBRU assistant general secretary Dermot O'Leary welcomed the LRC's intervention.

He also rejected a claim made by management earlier this week that the NBRU had not balloted its members properly. "We made it quite clear that we were reactivating a mandate already secured in a secret ballot of our members when the company first announced it was going to unilaterally introduce the change plan.

"If anyone is outside procedures it is Bus Éireann for breaking off discussions arranged for last week where issues raised by the NBRU were to be addressed", he said.

Mr O'Leary said that the fundamental issue at stake was that there had to be full consultation and negotiation on changes on the scale proposed by the company. These include plans to lay off 320 staff, including 220 drivers, as well the scrapping or reduction in frequency on about 50 routes.

"Fortunately the LRC intervention and the company's belated acceptance of the need to abide by procedures has avoided what would be a very serious dispute," he said. Direct talks between management and unions over the cost-containment programme broke down a week ago. Bus Éireann said in a statement that it was facing a very serious and challenging financial position that needed to be addressed urgently.