Dublin Bus services will come to a halt on six days in September as a result of planned strike action by staff over pay.
Trade unions on Tuesday served strike notice on the State-owned transport company for stoppages which will take place on Thursday September 8th, Friday 9th, Thursday 15th, Friday 16th, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th.
The trade union Siptu said the strikes on these days would lead to a complete shutdown of Dublin Bus services .
Unions at Dublin Bus are seeking a 15 per cent pay rise over a three-year as well as the payment of an award of 6 per cent dating back to 2009.
Staff rejected last month a Labour Court recommendation that they should receive increases of 8.2 per cent over three years.
Siptu Transport, Energy, Aviation and Construction Division organiser, Owen Reidy, said: "Our members are engaged in a dispute with management concerning what they believe to be a reasonable and fair pay claim. Workers at the company have not had a pay increase for eight years. During that period, they have suffered reductions in earnings and have co-operated with three comprehensive restructuring of the company."
“Dublin Bus returned to profit in 2014. Over the last five years there has been an increase in passenger numbers and revenue is up 30 per cent. However, during this period the state subvention to the company has been reduced by a total of 24 per cent. This cut further undermines a transport company whose subvention, in comparison to that provided to bus services in other European cities, was already low.”
Mr Reidy said Siptu members were seeking a 15 per cent pay increase over a three-year period; a payment in lieu of an agreed 6 per cent pay increase which was deferred a number of years ago; shift pay to be pensionable as is the case for staff in Irish Rail; the link between pay and pensions to be maintained and for the company to pay the income continuance contribution for drivers. He said the union's members were also prepared to engage in productivity discussions with management.
Commuters
The general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) Dermot O’Leary said: “It is a sad indictment on Dublin Bus and its pay masters that they have not made any effort towards resolving this dispute. This is despite the fact that it is now over six weeks since the Labour Court recommendation on pay was rejected by staff, it seems that the company and the mandarins at the Department (of Transport) are prepared to play Russian roulette with a public transport service that underpins the social and economic fabric of our capital city, transporting as it does over 330,000 commuters every day, rather than recognise that workers at Dublin Bus are deserving of a significant pay rise after eight years of pay stagnation, a period which saw staff having to stomach two cost cutting plans, inclusive of pay cuts.”
He said the desire of his members was not to engage in a dispute which would discommode the the public. He said the Minister for Transport Shane Ross and the Government had a responsibility to ensure that Dublin Bus was allowed to go back to the negotiating table with an improved offer.
“After all it is successive Governments that are responsible for cutting the necessary funding for public bus transport in Dublin by over €27 million since 2008.There is an obvious correlation between those stringent funding cuts and the restrictions placed upon Dublin Bus to play fair with its loyal and hardworking staff, our members remain determined that the pay claim lodged by all trade unions to the Labour Court for 15 per cent plus 6 per cent owed since 2008 requires to be addressed as a building block towards our claim for parity between bus and tram drivers.”
Stability
Dublin Bus said the planned strikes had “the potential to undo the financial stability achieved in recent years” at the company.
It described the rejection by staff of the Labour Court pay recommendation and the subsequently decision to take industrial action as extremely disappointing.
“Dublin Bus has accepted the Labour Court Recommendation which provides for a cost of living pay increase for each employee of 2.75 per cent per year for a three- year term effective from January 2016 (backdated) with the final 2.75 per cent payable in January 2018. In effect all grades would see their pay increase by a total of 8.25 per cent within a 16 month period.”
The company said the pay increases recommended by the Labour Court were above the current industry norm.
Dublin Bus said its management would now arrange to meet with the joint trade union group “to outline the company’s position, to discuss the issues in dispute and to seek a way forward to avert industrial action”.
“Any form of industrial action can only have a negative impact on our company and will inconvenience our customers. It has the potential to undo the financial stability achieved in recent years.”
