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HEADING TO WORK this morning? Don’t forget, there are no trains this morning as the rail strike has entered its second day.
Some 90,000 people are set to be affected by the strike which began yesterday and continues on to today.
This basically means that you shouldn’t turn up at a train station as there are no services whatsoever today.
Intercity, DART and Commuter services are all affected.
Train tickets will not be accepted on any other modes of transport and traffic is expected to be particularly heavy this morning as people take to their cars to make it into work.
Dublin Bus and Luas services in the capital will also be operating as normal.
Other alternatives are Bus Éireann — services there are running as normal today.
In a statement yesterday NBRU’s General Secretary Dermot O’Leary said that it was “regrettable” that the impact of the company’s decision to cut workers’ wages has impacted on those who use the train as a mode of transport.
He added at that it was regrettable that the company’s decision seemed to be “supported it would appear by the Minister” who he said had “chosen to ignore the concerns of staff in relation to the future of the railway”.
Irish Rail insisted that it had “no option” but to implement the cost-cutting measures, while spokesman Barry Kenny said the two day action would cost the already struggling company about €2 million.
Today will not be the end, however, with further disruption planned for September. The dates flagged for further strike action are:
- Sunday 7 September
- Monday 8 September
- Sunday 21 September
The health service isn’t “overlooked”. It’s just terribly ran and inefficient.
@Seán Ó hAnnracháin: Agree the Irish Health Service consumes 11% of our GDP v 9% average for other EU countries. Transparency needed on unit production. How many total manhours per procedure (direct and all indirect) v international benchmarks? Please publish.
- 2 Tier Irish Health System is obscene.
- Belfast buses from West Cork for cataract operations.
Tidal wave of health and mental issue s will follow.
The worse is yet to come.
‘Overlooked’ as in intentionally underfunded to scare people into the arrms of private health insurance companies.
“That’s the standard technique of privatization: defund, make sure things don’t work, people get angry, you hand it over to private capital” – Noam Chomsky
@The Risen: Funding has increased by 1/5 over the past 5 years, so the HSE is definitely not being “underunded”, but epically mis-managed. But don’t let facts get in the way of your little rants.
@The Risen: it’s a thought but I don’t really think so there are a lot off buffoons in charge
@The Risen: nothing underfunded about our health service… It’s run by a bunch of interest groups who are more concerned with their share rather than the health of the nation. Top heavy management that wasn’t thinned out in the move from Health Boards to the HSE maintains the lack of value and continuing inefficiency of any investment. Hospitals owned or managed by “patrons” despite being funded and developed by the state limit the mobility and efficiency of trained staff. Working practices designed to ensure as much staff as possible are paid at higher levels and a ridiculous consultant contract all contribute to ensure that any individual procedure actually costs more than the equivalent in a private setting, any of the double jobbing consultants will confirm this.
@The Risen: You say this because the HSE SHOULD BE a leftists’ wet dream – a big public sector (union dominated) organisation running our health system for the benefit of the public. But it’s a disaster. But that’s ok, because just blame the mean Gov or those evil capitalists. Hate to burst your bubble, but the HSE is the way it is because it is dominated by public sector vested interests (i.e Unions). There is no real accountability. There is no desire from within for change and any significant change is fought tooth nail because the status quo suits the special interests (i.e PS unions)- they’ve carved it out this way. At least if you’re paying for a service, the provider has an interest in providing you a good service. The HSE bureaucrat has no such interest, they are paid regardless.
All future governments will tie up the banking crisis borrowings with loans from Covid and will blame “Covid” for everything for years to come.
What health service as its near impossible to even see a GP these days
have your say