Commuters to endure 21st day of bus strike; Labour Court recommendation due at lunchtime
Another full day of talks at the court — the sides have been in mediation for a full week now between the Workplace Relations Commission and the Labour Court — finally ended shortly before 9pm last night with confirmation that a recommendation would be issued today.
As he emerged from the Labour Court Bus Éireann acting CEO Ray Hernan said: “Unfortunately and very regrettably, the unions have decided not to do so [call off the pickets] until such time as the court has issued its recommendation.
“I would again apologise to the public that, what we would have hoped that we would have been up and running by Thursday evening at the latest, is not now going to occur until the very earliest, Friday morning.”
The court is faced with the challenge of creating a recommendation which bears in mind the firm’s position that it is financially insolvent and also the rights and entitlements of their members as outlined by the unions.
The company said: “The main issue remains to be the composite hourly rate for our driver grade.”
National Bus and Rail Union general secretary Dermot O’Leary said he did not envy the court the task of constructing a recommendation. Whatever emerges will have to be put to a ballot of union members. Mr O’Leary insisted he will give his members every opportunity to consider and digest the terms given the scale of the cultural change they were now facing.
Labour Court to issue plan today over Bus Éireann
The Labour Court will today issue a recommendation that could end a dispute which has cost a cash-strapped Bus Éireann €500,000 per day in lost fares and left passengers without services for 21 days.
The court’s recommendation will likely see services resume tomorrow morning — but if unions reject its contents, the strikes could resume within a matter of days or weeks.
Before talks broke down at the Workplace Relations Commission on Tuesday morning, unions had offered €18m in savings along with an 11% increase in efficiencies.
According to the company, while progress was made and agreement reached to eliminate many work practice inefficiencies at the company, unions rejected an offer it made that would help to “deliver financial viability”.
Among the issues over which Bus Éireann management and unions remained at odds — and which will have to be included in the Labour Court recommendation — was the consolidated wage rate, incorporating premium and overtime payments into core pay. The company had offered €19.20, but unions were looking for between €22 and €23.
There is also an expectation that anything up to 300 staff, or one in eight of the company’s workforce, will leave the company in time as a result of any agreement that may emerge.
While normally a Labour Court process is quicker, it is believed the sides were delayed in yesterday’s session because, along with drivers, there were a number of other grades represented by five trade unions and the court needed clarity on each.
Dermot O’Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, said it still believes external actors — the Government and National Transport Authority — had a negative and undue influence on Bus Éireann management’s ability to negotiate an agreement.
Meanwhile, Siptu will today confirm the result of a ballot of its members at Dublin Bus in relation to taking strike action in support of Bus Éireann workers.
Yesterday, Brid Smith, a People Before Profit TD and former bus driver, tweeted: “delighted to hear that dublin bus drivers voted by 78% to support bus eireann. might wake up the minister and govt..Up the workers !”
In a statement later, the union’s organiser, John Murphy, said: “Union representatives are currently counting the ballot of all grades of Siptu members in Dublin Bus. This count will not be completed until tomorrow morning. Following the completion of the ballot, an official and correct result will then be released by the union.”
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