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dear minister
'Privatise the bloody service': The complaints sent to Shane Ross during the Dublin Bus strike
People urged the transport minister to intervene, saying the strike was having a negative impact on their lives.
THE MAIN REASON members of the public complained about Dublin Bus this year was the drivers’ strike.
People had to seek alternatives methods of transports when the company’s buses didn’t operate on several dates.
In October workers accepted a pay deal, preventing further industrial action. The agreement involves an annual pay increase of 11.6% over the next year.
Transport Minister Shane Ross received plenty of emails and letters about the strike, with members of the public asking him to intervene in the dispute.
TheJournal.ie recevied copies of the complaints under the Freedom of Information Act.
One writer said people deserve “decent public transport” because “we pay so much in taxes”.
However, they also said drivers were entitled to a pay increase and the government should have taken action sooner to avert the strike.
Others explained why the strike was an inconvenience – affecting their daily routine and having a negative impact on businesses.
‘Could you please sort this out?’
Here’s a selection of some of the complaints:
Ibec, an association representing businesses, also weighed in, expressing concern:
One person told Ross they agreed with his approach to the strike, and gave him a few suggestions as to how he could appear to be “more sympathetic” to commuters:
Another writer told the minister he would be top of the government class if he faced up to the unions “like a man” and told them “to go to hell”:
We’re not sure that would have resolved the dispute any faster.
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