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THE NATIONAL BUS and Rail Union (NBRU) has said it will serve notice of High Court proceedings against the NTA’s implementation of the government’s privatisation policy.
SIPTU and the National Bus and Railworkers Union have today withdrawn from talks on the privatisation of some routes that are currently run by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.
The NBRU will ballot its members in Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Irish Rail next week for industrial action.
Under the current plans, certain non city-centre routes in Dublin will be put out to tender.
Meanwhile, Bus Éireann routes earmarked for tender include services from Dublin to Kildare, Tullamore and Portlaoise, and a number of routes in Waterford city.
Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will be allowed to bid to continue to operate the routes.
NBRU General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said the policy is “flawed” and “based on a dubious interpretation of the relevant legislation” THAT “would inevitably result in conflict”.
O’Leary said that despite “many months of discussion” at the Labour Relations Commission, the government, through the NTA and the department of transport, has “failed to give assurances to staff as to the future of their industry along with their ability to support their families”.
He said the challenge for the NTA is “to acknowledge that the legislation may not in fact support the methodology they wish to apply here”.
O’Leary said the organisation will have to come to the table and “negotiate a mechanism which will address our members’ concerns and facilitate an open and transparent debate around public transport provision, which should be inclusive of all stakeholders”.
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said it is “disappointing that unions have withdrawn from discussions being facilitated by the LRC, which I understand had been progressing with a number of employee concerns being advanced”.
He added that this year marks the first time since 2008 that the level of Public Service Obligation contribution for bus and rail services is being maintained at the same level as the previous year.
Donohoe said he also secured €110 million for public transport as part of the 2014 supplementary estimate.
“Improved public transport, whether new services or increased frequencies of existing services, will require additional funding. I believe that our support for improved bus services should be given in conjunction with an appropriate degree of competitive tension within the market, in the interests of quality and cost effectiveness for commuters. This is why I am committed to the tendering of 10% of bus routes.”
The NBRU ballot on industrial action will begin next Monday, 6 April.
Is there any logical reason why farming and eating dog should be illegal? The animals we normally eat (cow, sheep, goat, etc) tend to be herbivores, so are easier to farm and taste different than carnivores. But beyond that, surely if we can humanely farm and eat species X, we should be allowed to eat species Y if it is also farmed in a humane manner?
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: How many pet cows do you have? Do you take your goat for a walk everyday.
Whilst there may be some validity to your argument I think you’ll find the overwhelming majority of people actually see their pet dogs as something more, even part of the family. So the prospect of chowing down on Lassie is not very appealing to most.
@damien leen: I don’t think Koreans were eating their pet dogs though.
@Sean O’Dhubhghaill: have you seen the way they’re killed, thrown alive into a pot of boiling water…r u ok with that!
@Clare Power: Hot dogs? Mmmmm,I love ‘em
@Larry Betts: stop Larry, yr supposed to be the funny man here
@Clare Power: boohoo
@Tom Dillon: oh that’s alrite then… C’mon man!
@Clare Power: I hope the EU doesn’t now ban German Shepherd Pie
@Larry Betts: I said your supposed to be funny Larry!!
@Clare Power: I’m never again going to ask for a doggie bag whenever I’m in a restaurant.
I’ve no time for people that haven’t empathy for animals, there’s something missing in their soul…my opinion…
About time
No more wokking the dog, as it were…
Well done, South Korea.
Lassie ain’t coming home!
For those who can’t now eat dog,they will feast on tasty Not Poodles
Koreans have swapped dogs for babies. The population has gone through the floor. By the way dog stew or boshintang is delicious – a little like a spicy lamb stew. Why should people be forced to abandon their own foid culture? Westerners complain about migrants swamping their own culture while imposing their values and culture on Asian, African and other indigenous cultures. No one who supports the banning of dog meat in Korea should oppose the imposition of Sharia in Ireland.
Personally, I think it’s barking mad decision by the government.
Banning dog meat will only lead farmers to go underground with their business.
Instead of a regulated price for the meat, meat prices could fetch a higher price due to the ban from the dog meat ban.
Anyone for a Chinese ?
@Jb Walshe: It’s only now that I realise what the Indians put in a madras curry,omg
The way some people anthromorphosise dogs, and cats, is beyond ridiculous. If some people want to eat dogs then let them.
Wokery. Wok wokery.
It’s not the eating I have a problem with, it’s the way they are “prepared”, the wire binding the limbs and mouth, the tape to stop them screaming , it’s the skinning alive, the boiling alive, the torture to promote the myth that the meat tastes better. I, for one, am extremely happy with the ban, it should be immediate, not in 3 years. It’s not just farmed dogs, it’s the stolen pets too that are affected.
Foid=food
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