Go-Ahead Ireland Drivers to Strike!

saulmerton · 10-02-2023 10:17pm #1

If it was DB it would have its own thread and be full of anti DB bile, so why not a dedicated GAI thread?

4-hour work stoppages on 1 and 8 March with pickets being placed at the company's depots in Ballymount, Dublin and Naas, Co Kildare.

"SIPTU representatives conducted a ballot for industrial action of our members employed by Go-Ahead Ireland on 20 December,"

"In the ballot, an overwhelming majority voted for industrial action if management continued to refuse to engage on the issue of pay,"

SIPTU says that a current collective agreement takes no account of significant cost-of-living increases.

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DB is also a power keg , drivers pissed big style about the "vote" for the recent pay deal, you poster round here don't realise just how bad the situation is, DB/GAI pay and conditions are not good, look at the Tallaght regular violence, the GAI exodus of drivers to DB for better pay and conditions , these GAI drivers have moved to DB and after the recent pay /conditions "Vote" have jumped from the frying pan into the fire.

For real it wont take much for all of DB to go on strike, a Tallaght escalation coupled with the anger from the recent DB "vote" for pay and conditions and it will get very interesting.

No end of money for Ukrainians and so called refugees, yet DB/GAI drivers get crumbs, powder keg waiting a spark!

For sure this part of boards will get very busy in the coming months unless big changes happen.

Fizzy Duck · 10-02-2023 10:39pm

Just left the depot. Haven't seen or heard mention of this powder keg like atmosphere. 🤷‍♂️

Burt Renaults · 10-02-2023 10:59pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058283793/go-ahead-ireland-drivers-to-strike

I heard they were 24-hour work stoppages, not 4-hour.

No idea why you're mentioning refugees, btw. This is a wealthy country; it can afford to pay public transport workers well, whilst also behaving decently towards people fleeing war-torn countries.

standardg60 · 10-02-2023 11:19pm

It's shocking tbh, i've no idea why we're not leaving this country en masse, burning our passports on the way and trying our luck in Africa

end of the road · 11-02-2023 12:58am

it was a question of when not if there would be a strike at go ahead ireland, showing once again that private operations do not stop strikes, fare rises or staff seeking pay rises.

100% support to the workers in their vital action as part of their vital fight for a fair days wage for a fair days work.

standardg60 · 11-02-2023 1:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227110#Comment_120227110

What is fair? What figure would you consider fair for a bus driver?

Del2005 · 11-02-2023 10:14am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227152#Comment_120227152

A lot more than what's on offer. It's a stressful skilled job to drive a 10m long vehicle with 100 people on board through a medieval city where every other road user cuts you up and on top of that they have to deal with the public, ask anyone who works in retail what people are like.

mikeybhoy · 11-02-2023 11:16am

Of course Go-Ahead drivers were always going to be pissed off by the fact they are getting less money and poorer working conditions for doing the exact same job as DB drivers. It was only a matter of time before a strike.

howiya · 11-02-2023 12:04pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227152#Comment_120227152

I haven't got a figure but its clear that whats on offer isnt enough. I know the thread is specific to GAI but the figures advertised on Dublin Buses that are driving around aren't that appealing. So like any other market it comes down to supply and demand. If public transport is the answer to our climate woes then public transport workers need to be well paid enough until we have too many people wanting to be bus drivers. Most of the threads on this forum come to the same conclusion which is a shortage of drivers. It needs to be a more attractive role.

howiya · 11-02-2023 12:06pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227776#Comment_120227776

Why haven't those drivers joined Dublin Bus then?

Aren't bus drivers leaving Dublin Bus too?

mikeybhoy · 11-02-2023 12:16pm

Not everyone can. Some go to DB and fail the driving assessment, interview or medical. Some live closer to Ballymount than any DB garage.

howiya · 11-02-2023 12:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227920#Comment_120227920

If they fail a driving assessment or medical at a similar company should they be driving for GAI?

It's quite normal for different companies to have different rates of pay for similar work though. I don't think that pay rates at Dublin Bus should be part of the reason for striking though. Use them as a comparison maybe but thats about it. The fact that GAI drivers want better pay and/or conditions is reason enough.

Just an example but should AIB and Bank of Ireland employees be paid the same? I don't think they should and if one can't get staff they'll try attract staff from the other with better salary etc. This is what should be happening in the labour market for bus drivers. Instead you have two companies with rigid salary scales who are both complaining about shortages of drivers.

Dr Turk Turkelton · 11-02-2023 12:48pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227152#Comment_120227152

We should look at the drivers wages from other countries and look to pay similar in my opinion.

Not fair on the Irish drivers too earn less than drivers from other similar cities.

Does anyone know the sort of rates paid to drivers in Madrid, Berlin Lisbon for example and we could base the rates here off these comparable places and get our drivers in line with these guys.

end of the road · 11-02-2023 2:09pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120228004#Comment_120228004

to be fair while i get what you are saying, there is a difference here between GAI and dublin bus and other companies and industries in that GAI and dublin bus are both contracted by a central authority to operate services on behalf of that authority.

so they are effectively an extention of that authority.

if they were both operating of their own accord then the same market forces as would apply to the banks would and should apply to them.

Daith · 11-02-2023 6:03pm

That's not how it works. It's no different to any company outsourcing to another company to supply services.

Fully support any worker wanting better conditions but there's no automatic right for GAI workers to be on the same conditions as a DB worker. It's a very common scenario.

DB should be used as a comparison for them and how they're struggling to get workers and how valuable they are in current climate, in addition to any BusConnects rollout. I'd steer clear of saying Ukrainians are getting all the money though.

mikeybhoy · 11-02-2023 7:13pm

Outsourcing is a race to the bottom full stop. When something is outsourced the outsourced company always pays less than in-house. For example I used work in a place that employed its cleaners in house then it was outsourced and the cleaners were paid less than the in-house cleaners.

Daith · 11-02-2023 7:26pm

I would tend to agree but that's the current situation. GAI bid for this contract, they're an independent organization and the NTA or Government have really little to do with wages.

Again, not me saying GAI workers shouldn't get better pay, but the "we're both doing same job" isn't particularly unusual.

I always thought having some private entity operating some routes didn't make much sense.

Burt Renaults · 11-02-2023 8:02pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120229671#Comment_120229671

Ironically, GAI did the exact opposite. They used to outsource cleaning, but eventually decided to poach them all from the contractor and employ them in-house on better wages.

Qŵèrþÿ · 11-02-2023 8:17pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120227920#Comment_120227920

If they passed the GA medical then surely they’d pass the DB medical?

What does the interview and assessment involve btw? It’s not a job I could ever do. They have my full respect.

Burt Renaults · 11-02-2023 8:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120229901#Comment_120229901

I know quite a few drivers in DB who failed either the interview or driving assessment, and then successfully reapplied a year later. It's quite arbitrary, to say the least - and this is true of both companies. I also know a few current DB drivers who originally applied to Go Ahead and didn't even get as far as the interview stage.

standardg60 · 11-02-2023 10:52pm

I'm lost. People who freely apply for a job in full knowledge of what the wages are deserving of 'more'. Nurses are deserving of 'more', guards are deserving of 'more', and as usual supporters of 'more' when asked what that should actually be have no answer.

In a normal world, employees are rewarded individually for how well they do their job. What is wrong with this concept?

Unions are all about collectivisation, everyone is equal and everyone is contributing equally, absolute nonsense. This is the precise reason why the health especially and most other state services fail to operate adequately despite the enormous resources allocated to them.

mikeybhoy · 11-02-2023 10:54pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230378#Comment_120230378

Ever heard of inflation?

Citrus_8 · 11-02-2023 11:30pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230383#Comment_120230383

Salaries should be frozen or reduced during inflation to tackle it. Increasing salaries is throwing more money into already overheated market which eventually again fueling inflation further.

No secret that Irish government, and particularly the health system, is not efficient. We burn money away because of badly functioning governmental bodies and the health system administration. We need better professional, preferably, other nationalities, as Irish people are simply too slow, lazy, unreliable and inefficient at doing things.

mikeybhoy · 11-02-2023 11:38pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230508#Comment_120230508

What has the health service got to do with a strike in the passenger transport industry?

Citrus_8 · 11-02-2023 11:42pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230536#Comment_120230536

Both public services, both partly funded from the budget.

howiya · 12-02-2023 12:09am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230508#Comment_120230508

How much of your salary have you handed back because of inflation?

Burt Renaults · 12-02-2023 12:12am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120230508#Comment_120230508

Freezing or reducing salaries doesn't work when there are loads of jobs elsewhere. This is especially true of the transport industry. It also tends not to force prices down, especially during a housing crisis. That needs to be tackled before any salary freeze or reduction could ever be considered.