THE STRIKE BY Dublin Bus employees enters its third day today, with thousands of commuters affected on the first full working day since the industrial action began.
An estimated 400,000 commuters rely on Dublin Bus – the largest transport operator in the capital – on weekdays and Minister for Public Transport Alan Kelly said the company will lose €600,000 today alone from the industrial action. He urged both sides to talk to each other.
“I’m aware of the issues between the unions and management and they are not insurmountable and can be solved,” he said. “Both sides must engage with each other through the Labour Relations Commission to address them.”
Dublin Bus management is seeking to cut almost €12 million from the company in the next year – including €7.7 million alone from payroll costs – but SIPTU and National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) employees overwhelmingly rejected recommendations from the Labour Court which would have introduced reductions in overtime pay and other working conditions.
The NBRU said it is prepared to talk to management and called for one of the two ministers involved – Leo Varadkar and Alan Kelly -to get involved in kickstarting mediation talks.
“Both sides now at this stage have said from the very start that we’re prepared to sit down and talk in relation to the rejection of the Labour Court recommendations. Of course we’re prepared to sit down and talk. But we need intervention,” Dermot O’Leary of the NBRU told RTE Radio One’s Morning Ireland.
AA Roadwatch has said that traffic in Dublin is much busier than usual in parts of the city as commuters turn to alternative methods to get to work. Gardaí have said that the usual bus lane restrictions still apply as taxis, coaches and cyclists will still be using the lanes.
Twitter users have begun using the #liftfairy hashtag by offering lifts to stranded bus passengers who need to travel this morning.
Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann services are operating normally and are not affected by the industrial action at Dublin Bus.
(Video: TradeUnionTVIreland/YouTube)
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