TALKS BETWEEN BUS Éireann management and and trade unions ended last night without a solution, with both sides accusing the other of not being flexible enough.
Bus Éireann said that there was a “very tight timeframe to implement actions” with the company losing around €50,000 a day.
The company said last night upon the collapse of the talks:
“While inefficiencies have been acknowledged and accepted by unions, there was a refusal to accept any reduction of earnings, including unnecessary overtime earnings.”
In ten days’ time, Bus Éireann are expected to sign off on their annual accounts. But without a new plan on how to plug the stream of losses at the company – mainly along the Expressway routes – it’s impossible for them to move forward.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), which represents employees at the company, said that the company were trying to “rewrite history”, as pay promises had already been made.
General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said:
“The notion that an immediate cut to some overtime earnings would suddenly address the government policy-induced crisis, is frankly incredulous, and Bus Éireann stand indicted of displaying a cavalier attitude towards its responsibilities to those that rely on its services and its own staff.”
Passengers
A notice of indefinite all-out strike action has already been served to the company’s management. The NBRU is now waiting to see what the company’s next move will be – if the cuts are imposed, strike action is inevitable.
If that happens, it has the potential to make the problem worse, as passengers will most likely move to private companies and Bus Éireann lose even more revenue.
The government has been asked to intervene in the crisis faced by Bus Éireann, but transport minister Shane Ross says that the government doesn’t have the means to help the company, and can’t get involved.
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