Bus Strike (read warning in post #1)

end of the road

Stevek101 wrote: »

I'm surprised there has been so little in the media about the coming strike. Have their been any talks behind the scenes? Or will they head down the injunction route?

i'd doubt they would bother going down the injunction route when they are currently in the courts in relation to the legality of these particular strikes in the first place. but you never know i suppose if it doesn't go their way. interesting times ahead either way

LXFlyer

Stevek101 wrote: »

I'm surprised there has been so little in the media about the coming strike. Have their been any talks behind the scenes? Or will they head down the injunction route?

Are you expecting a running commentary on what may/may not be happening? In general most industrial disputes are resolved away from the media's eyes, and they only get interested when strike action is about to happen. The relevant bodies tend to keep the media at arm's length.

There's still a full week for something to happen to try to avoid another strike.

WomanSkirtFan8

Stevek101 wrote: »

I'm surprised there has been so little in the media about the coming strike. Have their been any talks behind the scenes? Or will they head down the injunction route?

At a guess, I'd say there's probably talks going on behind closed doors and the latter may very well be the case. But I don't really know.

stehyl15

end of the road wrote: »

wrong. its because FG bury their heads in the sand and think that socially necessary public transport doesn't have to be payed for or at least can run on little.

Why pay more for something you can have for less

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

Why pay more for something you can have for less

because you can't have it for less unless you have a severe cut in service. if we want frequent services they have to be payed for.

RobbingBandit

Is it true there will be a 3 day strike the weekend after next if no resolve is found?

WomanSkirtFan8

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Is it true there will be a 3 day strike the weekend after next if no resolve is found?

Probably but as others have already pointed out there is still just under a week to go beforehand so you never know, something may yet be sorted out. Here's hoping it is.:(

LXFlyer

RobbingBandit wrote: »

Is it true there will be a 3 day strike the weekend after next if no resolve is found?

Potentially:
2 day strike - 15/16 May
3 day strike - 29-31 May

Infini

stehyl15 wrote: »

Only because FF just sit back and give into trade unions

Or mebbe its because people actually you know TALK and actively try to avoid needless confrontations instead of railroading through defective and badly thought out policies.

stehyl15

end of the road wrote: »

because you can't have it for less unless you have a severe cut in service. if we want frequent services they have to be payed for.

They might aswell try

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

They might aswell try

no, they might as well not try something that has been tried and by the looks of it hasn't worked. leave it alone

pmasterson95

punisher5112 wrote: »

15th and 16th strike days.

Hope it doesn't come to that.

Ah ffs. Again last 3 days of May aswell.


It probably will sure be the same ransom demands as last time. God help customers who rely on buses

LastStop

pmasterson95 wrote: »

Ah ffs. Again last 3 days of May aswell.


It probably will sure be the same ransom demands as last time. God help customers who rely on buses

They haven't even started talking yet so don't hold your breath for the strike to be averted

greenman09

In the news today that they are in talks to try avert this weeks strikes. Why a few days before and not in the week since the strikes on the bank holiday?

cdebru

greenman09 wrote: »

In the news today that they are in talks to try avert this weeks strikes. Why a few days before and not in the week since the strikes on the bank holiday?

Seems to always be the way the LRC works, I presume it is to allow a certain amount of pressure to build to concentrate minds

greenman09

What's the likelihood of these happening this week? Seems to be no progress since last ones.
Was hoping to get a bus up north

LXFlyer

greenman09 wrote: »

What's the likelihood of these happening this week? Seems to be no progress since last ones.
Was hoping to get a bus up north

I don't really want to sound in any way crass, but how can anyone here be expected to answer that question definitively, unless they have a crystal ball?

At present a strike is scheduled for Friday and Saturday. Unless the talks produce a result then that strike will happen.

No one here can tell you what is going to happen at those talks.

Just keep an eye on the media in the meantime, that's all any of us can do.

Bear in mind that Ulsterbus services to Derry and Belfast will be unaffected.

schemingbohemia

greenman09 wrote: »

What's the likelihood of these happening this week? Seems to be no progress since last ones.
Was hoping to get a bus up north

Where up North? If you mean Belfast then Aircoach will get you there. Just check the private operators.

CaoimheSquee

Ulsterbus would still be leaving from Busaras too I assume. However, even though they leave from Busaras you need to go to Ulsterbus site or customer service line directly for the departure times.
They will be PACKED though I imagine.

LXFlyer

Ulsterbus operated from Custom House Quay during the last strike.

GoBE operated from Burgh Quay in Dublin and St Patrick's Quay in Cork.

In the event of a strike, the following services should operate:

All GoBE services between Dublin and Cork

Translink Ulsterbus services between Dublin and Belfast on the X1 and Dublin and Derry on the X4 and 33/274 routes.

Dublin/Belfast X1 Ulsterbus timetable:
Ex Dublin: 03:00, 05:00, 10:00, 11:00, 12:00, 13:00, 18:00; 19:00; 20:00 and 22:00

Ex:Belfast: 01:00, 06:00, 07:00, 08:00, 09:00, 10:00, 14:00, 15:00, 16:00, 17:00 and 23:00

Dublin/Derry 274 (via Monaghan) Ulsterbus Timetable:
Ex-Dublin: 10:00, 12:15 and 22:15

Ex-Derry: 04:15, 07:00, 13:00 and 16:30

Dublin/Derry (via Armagh) X4 Ulsterbus Timetable:
Ex-Dublin: 11:00, 15:30, 18:00 and 23:00

Ex-Derry: 06:00, 10:00 and 17:30

Intifada

I have always found myself siding with the workers when strike action is taken, even if it does affect me. On Friday I will have to pay for a taxi to and from work and not to inconsiderable cost to myself but I respect the right to strike.

That said, Bus Eireann is possibly the single worst business/service I have ever dealt with in any country. Their Galway city bus service is so bad you would think they were on strike most days. Privatisation is another thing I am always strenuously against but in this instance I would privatise 100% of this shambolic 'service'.

end of the road

Intifada wrote: »

I have always found myself siding with the workers when strike action is taken, even if it does affect me. On Friday I will have to pay for a taxi to and from work and not to inconsiderable cost to myself but I respect the right to strike.

That said, Bus Eireann is possibly the single worst business/service I have ever dealt with in any country. Their Galway city bus service is so bad you would think they were on strike most days. Privatisation is another thing I am always strenuously against but in this instance I would privatise 100% of this shambolic 'service'.

so your not against privatization then. why would you privatize bus eireann when there are private operators all ready on the galway route? sounds like more suggestions to "privatize it" for the sake of it.

Intifada

end of the road wrote: »

so your not against privatization then.

I am against it in every other case but this one. That was pretty much the main point of my post.

I am generally against privatisation but I cannot possibly see how the bus service could get any worse. My disdain for this particularly company is greater than the sympathy I might feel for some of their workers. That is the first time this has been the case. If there are strong arguments against it I am open to them.

stehyl15

end of the road wrote: »

so your not against privatization then. why would you privatize bus eireann when there are private operators all ready on the galway route? sounds like more suggestions to "privatize it" for the sake of it.

I don't think bus eireann should really be operating the galway route when there is already Irish Rail operating it don't see the need for two state owned company operating the same route.

end of the road

Intifada wrote: »

I am against it in every other case but this one. That was pretty much the main point of my post.

I am generally against privatisation but I cannot possibly see how the bus service could get any worse. My disdain for this particularly company is greater than the sympathy I might feel for some of their workers. That is the first time this has been the case. If there are strong arguments against it I am open to them.

"the bus service can't be any worse" is hardly selling the idea. much easier to find people to manage the company who actually are interested in improving the business. plenty of private operators doing the galway route.

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

I don't think bus eireann should really be operating the galway route when there is already Irish Rail operating it don't see the need for two state owned company operating the same route.

yes, i'd agree, bar serving towns that aren't rail connected. but maybe thats a thread for another day?

antoinolachtnai

end of the road wrote: »

"the bus service can't be any worse" is hardly selling the idea. much easier to find people to manage the company who actually are interested in improving the business. plenty of private operators doing the galway route.

It would be unfair to say that the current management of the companies aren't interested in improving the business. It's just that their hands are tied in various ways. Many of these constraints come from the situation (an example might be the entrenched belief that productivity cannot be improved above what it currently is). For sure, some of them come from these managers' level of abilities, but when you think about it, why would an immensely talented manager want to get involved in Bus Eireann?

Governments have been trying to find people to manage the company better for 25 years, and have not succeeded. One part of the problem is that the people who are managing the company at the moment (not just the people at the very top, but the whole middle tier too) don't really want to leave their jobs, but there are also many other problems that are extremely difficult to resolve.

Government, and a large section of the public, as well as some of the staff are losing confidence in the management but haven't been able to do anything about it. The obvious solution to the problem is structural change in the sector and that is exactly what is proposed.

stehyl15

Dublin bus workers should really not be allowed to strike or at least be obliged to provide some kind of skeleton service during strikes

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

Dublin bus workers should really not be allowed to strike or at least be obliged to provide some kind of skeleton service during strikes

why. get a taxi, walk, use the dart or luas if you can. not allowing them to strike won't make any difference, plenty of ways they can disrupt the service. it would be unenforcable. striking is necessary, and its just a shame more workers aren't able to do it

n97 mini

stehyl15 wrote: »

Dublin bus workers should really not be allowed to strike or at least be obliged to provide some kind of skeleton service during strikes

Let them strike if they want to. The Govt should hire in someone else to provide a service for the duration though. Core routes if not all routes are possible.

Who owns the buses DB use? Maybe they could be used rather than hiring private buses.

end of the road

n97 mini wrote: »

Let them strike if they want to. The Govt should hire in someone else to provide a service for the duration though. Core routes if not all routes are possible.

where are they going to get this "someone else" i'd hardly think private bus operators have the amount of busses required to operate your proposed service without losing out on the routes they operate. why should the passengers on the routes the privates operate lose out because you won't leave the house earlier and find the alternatives that dublin have? also if that was to be proposed i would expect the drivers on strike to picket the depots to ensure that no service would continue, as having no service is an incentive for both sides to resolve the issues quickly. by allowing people to be hired in means no incentive for both sides to sort out the issue

n97 mini wrote: »

Who owns the buses DB use? Maybe they could be used rather than hiring private buses.

allowing the use of dublin bus vehicles for these hired in drivers would most likely be a non runner due to the fact one will need to be trained on them unless the operator they come from use those particular make of bus. i should imagine the "if i can drive 1 car i can drive any" mentality doesn't apply with the relevant authorities in relation to busses

CaoimheSquee

end of the road wrote: »

why. get a taxi, walk, use the dart or luas if you can. not allowing them to strike won't make any difference, plenty of ways they can disrupt the service. it would be unenforcable. striking is necessary, and its just a shame more workers aren't able to do it

Many people do not live within a taxi journey/walking distance of work.

The sooner this is sorted out the bloody better.

LXFlyer

n97 mini wrote: »

Let them strike if they want to. The Govt should hire in someone else to provide a service for the duration though. Core routes if not all routes are possible.

Who owns the buses DB use? Maybe they could be used rather than hiring private buses.

And how would anyone get the buses out of Dublin Bus depots past the pickets? I somehow suspect neither the NTA nor the government want to inflame the situation any more than it is already.

Apart from the SG and GT fleet, DB owns all the buses.

stehyl15

lxflyer wrote: »

And how would anyone get the buses out of Dublin Bus depots past the pickets? I somehow suspect neither the NTA nor the government want to inflame the situation any more than it is already.

Apart from the SG and GT fleet, DB owns all the buses.

If the emergency services cant go on strike i dont why bus workers cant be added to that list

punisher5112

stehyl15 wrote: »

If the emergency services cant go on strike i dont why bus workers cant be added to that list

Ever hear of blue flu?

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

If the emergency services cant go on strike i dont why bus workers cant be added to that list

what makes you think the emergency services can't go on strike? there might be laws preventing them from doing so but if a huge majority decided to down tools there is nothing the government could do. the reason bus workers can't be added to that list is because they are not emergency workers. nobody dies if the busses don't run you find an alternative. also, such rules preventing bus workers from going on strike wouldn't make a difference. plenty of ways they can still disrupt the service. mystery illness, a sudden problem with the fleet that means they have to be stopped until fixed, and so on

antoinolachtnai

They would be breaking the law surely? And union officials would be exposing themselves to personal liability for anybody who died because they couldn't get an ambulance.

n97 mini

lxflyer wrote: »

And how would anyone get the buses out of Dublin Bus depots past the pickets? I somehow suspect neither the NTA nor the government want to inflame the situation any more than it is already.

Apart from the SG and GT fleet, DB owns all the buses.

The NTA, being public servants too, aren't really on the opposite side of the table, so they're unlikely to do anything anyway.

However you raise a good point: All ownership of buses should be taken from DB. The drivers are going on strike, not the buses, which are being kept prisoner.

stehyl15

end of the road wrote: »

what makes you think the emergency services can't go on strike? there might be laws preventing them from doing so but if a huge majority decided to down tools there is nothing the government could do. the reason bus workers can't be added to that list is because they are not emergency workers. nobody dies if the busses don't run you find an alternative. also, such rules preventing bus workers from going on strike wouldn't make a difference. plenty of ways they can still disrupt the service. mystery illness, a sudden problem with the fleet that means they have to be stopped until fixed, and so on

Buses are crucial to Dublin both economicaly and socially. Yes they could go on strike but in other countries when public transport goes on strike certain services can be guaranteed around peak times.

end of the road

antoinolachtnai wrote: »

They would be breaking the law surely? And union officials would be exposing themselves to personal liability for anybody who died because they couldn't get an ambulance.

there are all sorts of possibilities. you would have to prove that the lack of ambulance caused the death rather then the possibility they may have died even if it came. might be an interesting thread for the legal forum maybe

end of the road

n97 mini wrote: »

The NTA, being public servants too, aren't really on the opposite side of the table, so they're unlikely to do anything anyway.

However you raise a good point: All ownership of buses should be taken from DB. The drivers are going on strike, not the buses, which are being kept prisoner.

wouldn't make a difference who owns them. if the drivers have to go out then the busses will be "held prisoner" regardless

end of the road

stehyl15 wrote: »

Buses are crucial to Dublin both economicaly and socially. Yes they could go on strike but in other countries when public transport goes on strike certain services can be guaranteed around peak times.

doesn't matter. nobody dies if one has to leave the house earlier. thats the fact of the matter. its all in the word "emergency" which means "critical" the busses might be that socially and economically, but they aren't life and death. having the threat of strikes is an incentive to sort out the issues quickly. this is the first time in a very long time we have a possibility of a few strikes within a little bit of each other (1 has all ready happened and there are 2 more planned) taking it that the next lot will go ahead of course (which they may not but its likely they will)

Patser

Strikes off

http://m.rte.ie/news/2015/0514/700974-weekend-bus-strike-called-off/


Lot more commitments to staff that there will be jobs within DB and BE, proper plans put in place and signed up to

But 10% of routes still going out to tender.

jamesbere

I think I speak for every bus customer and say thank f**k it's called off.

microsim

jamesbere wrote: »

I think I speak for every bus customer and say thank f**k it's called off.

Yes. I hope the drivers are not away on holidays like they were during the last strike.
Back to work lads!

microsim

end of the road wrote: »

doesn't matter. nobody dies if one has to leave the house earlier. thats the fact of the matter. its all in the word "emergency" which means "critical" the busses might be that socially and economically, but they aren't life and death. having the threat of strikes is an incentive to sort out the issues quickly. this is the first time in a very long time we have a possibility of a few strikes within a little bit of each other (1 has all ready happened and there are 2 more planned) taking it that the next lot will go ahead of course (which they may not but its likely they will)

Still blathering on I see.

UCDVet

end of the road wrote: »

doesn't matter. nobody dies if one has to leave the house earlier. thats the fact of the matter. its all in the word "emergency" which means "critical" the busses might be that socially and economically, but they aren't life and death. having the threat of strikes is an incentive to sort out the issues quickly. this is the first time in a very long time we have a possibility of a few strikes within a little bit of each other (1 has all ready happened and there are 2 more planned) taking it that the next lot will go ahead of course (which they may not but its likely they will)

So *just* important enough to be funded by the tax payers....but not so important as to stop them from disrupting service whenever they like?

Seems to me you can't have it both ways. Either treat them like a private company, let them strike all they want, let other companies compete - or don't. Last I checked, Dublin Bus is lucky if *half* their revenue comes from actual customers *and* we give them a monopoly on the city. And I still can't recall a year in which I've been in Dublin where there wasn't (at least) a threat of a strike.

Jon Stark

Christ I didn't even know there was a strike planned.

Have an exam on Saturday on the opposite side of the city, would have been up sh1t Creek without a bus.

thomasj

Dublin bus saying they are refunding €11 to customers of monthly and annual passes for the strike days, can be collected from head office.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/DublinBus-Mobile/News/?depth=1&srcid=4852

The_Morrigan

thomasj wrote: »

Dublin bus saying they are refunding €11 to customers of monthly and annual passes for the strike days, can be collected from head office.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/en/DublinBus-Mobile/News/?depth=1&srcid=4852

I'd prefer them to refund them onto the leap card!