Unions’ rural drive against restructuring of bus service

Unions representing Expressway workers are to travel to towns and villages to drum up the support of rural dwellers as they fight a planned restructuring of the bus service.

The union has warned that “as a last resort” it will engage in industrial action should the Bus Éireann force the changes on staff without agreement.

In letters to the Irish Rural Network and to TDs, senators and councillors Dermot O’Leary of the National Bus and Railway Union (NBRU) warned the restructuring will mean the “death of bus services” in small communities.

The bus workers have formed an organisation called Save Our Bus Service (SOBS) and are arguing that the planned modernisation is another attack on rural Ireland which is already fighting to keep “vital services” such as post offices, banks and garda stations.

“If you step outside the rail and motorway network you will find an almost exclusive reliance on Bus Éireann to access local towns, schools, workplaces and colleges,” he said.

“This Department allowed an unchecked licensing regime to wreak havoc on the invaluable service being provided by Expressway… [It} has created an oversupply along the major inter-urban corridors resulting in unsustainable losses being incurred by Bus Éireann”..

These public information meetings have already started and will continue through December and into January. Meetings are due to take place in Mullingar, Tubbercurry and Gort next week; in Templeglantine, Co Limerick; Tuam, Co Galway; Listowel,Co Kerry, and Letterkenny, Co Donegal.

The inter-regional coach service is loss making and is facing increasing competition from private operators.

Bus Éireann has indicated that it wants to separate Expressway from the rest of the company, reduce staff and introduce pay cuts. It also wants to change terms and conditions of employment and sub-contract a number of routes.

In a letter to staff earlier this year, chief executive Martin Nolan said Bus Éireann’s finances are in a critical position. He said the company had lost €5.6m last year and had projected losses of €6m in 2016.