BUS ÉIREANN WORKERS have rejected a plan proposed by the company this evening, with a union condemning it as “a blueprint for the destruction of the company as a viable organisation”, and threatening to trigger a strike.

Last week, a confidential report by Grant Thornton suggested Bus Éireann planned to cut overtime and end the Expressway service in an effort to grapple with the company’s massive financial losses.

The report has angered workers who – prior to the report being leaked – were looking for pay rises. Now, they’re seeking assurances that their pay won’t be cut.

SIPTU Sector Organiser Willie Noone, said that the plan presented to workers today was “horrendous and totally unacceptable”.

“This plan would effectively introduce casualisation of work, redeployment of workers to wherever the company wants, destroy the pension scheme, reduce staff numbers as well as introduce privatisation and outsourcing of work.”

He then threatened industrial action if  they continued to attempt to “erode” workers’ current conditions of employment: “management should remember that a mandate for industrial action has already been obtained from SIPTU members.”

Meanwhile, the National Bus and Rail Union General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said that they had informed Bus Éireann that they too, would not accept any imposition of cuts to members’ pay.

“We also advised that there was a real danger here that transport in this country could be forced into industrial turmoil if such an attack was initiated.”

Read: ‘Workers didn’t cause the problem’: Union warns public will be affected by Bus Éireann cuts