Confidential Bus Eireann Plans Leading To Privatization, It Has Revealed

Confidential Bus Eireann plans
revealed.
Posted on 29 January 2017.
By Michael OFarrell
Investigations Editor
Todays edition of the Irish Mail on Sunday newspaper available now in
shops nationwide reveals how top managers at Bus Eireann, who have just
departed with secret payouts, failed to implement cost cutting plans and
targets they set themselves in 2015.
The confidential documents, available for download below, disclose much
more besides. We firmly believe it is in the public interest to make them freely
available.
At a time when the possible collapse of the entire company is a real threat
and with strikes a virtual certainty these files show how management, the
Government and the unions (who retain two positions on the company board)
failed to address spiralling losses first identified as a threat years ago.
For full coverage please purchase a copy of todays Irish Mail on Sunday.
National Bus & Rail Union

represent bus and Rail workers
in front of the Joint Oireachtas
Committee on Transport
National Bus & Rail Union submission

to the Oireachtas Committee on
Transport on Wednesday 19th October
2016
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON OCT - 19 - 2016
Cathaoirleach, Members of the Committee.

On behalf of the National Bus and Rail Union I wish to thank you for this
opportunity to speak on behalf of Transport Workers and the
Communities they serve, it is they along with fellow ordinary decent
workers who keep the wheels of the economy turning.
As the foremost Front-line Trade Union in CIE with the largest
membership across the Public Bus Transport Sector we make no
apologies about having prosecuted a dispute at Dublin Bus in
furtherance of a long overdue and well deserved pay rise after eight
years of austerity.
The NBRU is very proud of our history, a history which has seen us very
much at the Vanguard of significant improvements terms and conditions
for successive generations of transport workers.
However we now find ourselves facing into a doomsday scenario that
Bus Eireann may attempt to impose unilateral changes to terms and
conditions of its own staff, a situation which has been brought to bear by
a policy driven at Department level and implemented it would appear
with zest by the NTA.
This situation if allowed to develop unchecked will inevitably lead to
Industrial Action, potentially across the Public Transport Sector, the
notion that Unionised Workers in the CIE Group of Companies would
stand idly by and allow one of those Companies to ride roughshod over
fellow Workers by unilaterally reducing Terms and Conditions is simply
untenable.
Those politicians who are minded to, as it were mind their business, or
wash their hands of the problems at Bus Eireann would be well advised
to think again, Rural Ireland has a way of making the dog bark, its called
Election time.
As the recession hit and revenue declined due to falling passenger
numbers the three CIE Companies engaged in impactful rationalisation
plans which streamlined services, eliminated some terms and
conditions and subjected staff to pay cuts.
CIE subvention from the State was reduced from 321.10m in 2008 to
188.9 m in 2015, i.e. a reduction of 41.2%. At the same time payroll
costs were reduced by 12.6%.
In the case of Dublin Bus it is worth noting that the 2015 subvention
level should have been 60 million but 2 million was deducted
because the NTA deemed that profits made from Public Service
Obligation business were unreasonable.
The formula used by the NTA to calculate reasonable profit is an
anachronism in the modern financial world in that the NTA use return on
equity and not turnover as is common practice. The more salient point
here is that there would not have been any unreasonable profit if
workers were not enduring a pay cut at the time.
As members may be aware, the previous administration initiated the
tender process to privatise 10% of Dublin Bus and Bus ireann.
The tender documents which surfaced this summer have a criteria of
65% cost. The only variable in bus transport is labour costs.
The NBRU had to resort to initiating a High Court challenge against the
Minister and the Department as a vital component of our antiprivatisation campaign in 2015.
We were with the support of Trade Union colleagues relatively
successful in our challenge to this anti-worker policy by having the
principle of Social Clauses (namely an REA and SEO) agreed as part of
the LRC brokered Settlement Proposals.
We await publication of the Legislative changes promised by
Government in response to the NBRU highlighted flaws which exist in

the current Act.
However, it appears that those in Government are determined to pursue
a policy which will inevitablty will lead to conflict.
The trouble at Bus Eireanns Expressway can be directly linked to the
Department led, NTA implemented policy of issuing and amending
licences in the commercial bus market.
The NTA will of course contend that the customer has more choice,
more options, what it will not say is that:
They have increased seat capacity on Dublin/Limerick by 111%
Dublin/Cork by 128%
and
Dublin/Waterford by 55%.
Over supply of Seat availability does not equate to market demand.
Saturating the market to unsustainable levels with a plethora of
operators is not a Visionary Transport Policy, all it achieves is the
eventual demise of some of those operators, ending up with either a
monopoly or at best a duopoly.
Here are some noteworthy facts:
There was capacity in the market post recession, most if not all of this
capacity would have catered for the market growth.
instead there has been an additional 100% plus services added, with
larger coaches.
There has been a doubling of service capacity on most routes and a
tripling of available empty seats.
Waterford-Cork and Limerick-Tralee/Killarney more than doubled,
competition not going into Rathkeale/Limerick Hospital.
One other point worth mentioning is the fact that Bus Eireann stayed in
the towns and villages during the recession, it would of course been
disloyal to disadvantaged customers to do otherwise, the competition
targeted larger population centres through new licences and
amendments to others.
I mentioned earlier about barking dogs, Rural Ireland can be unforgiving
when it comes removing or threatening its vital social and economic
providing services, Rural Post Offices, Bank and Garda Station closures
being a case in point.
Here is another stark reality, Bus Eireann have now, under pressure
from this over supply in capacity and in order to attempt to compete,
come out of 200 towns/villages
The NTA are now placing an extra burden on the taxpayer by
introducing extra PSO services into some of those areas. The most
recent example of this is an 880,000 contract to M & A coaches in
June this year to areas once served by Bus ireann.
The NTA, aside from being the Authority are also the Transport
regulator. This is a function that is not being carried out in relation to
commercial bus licences.
According to the 2009 Act, the following obligation is on the NTA when
awarding commercial Bus licences:
10. (1) in considering an application for the grant of a licence the
Authority, having regard to the general objectives established under
section 10 of the Act of 2008
(a) shall take account of the demand or potential demand that exists for
the public bus passenger services to which the application refers having
regard to the needs of consumers and any existing public bus
passenger services on or in the vicinity of the route to be served by the
proposed public bus passenger services
, and section (b) 3 which states;
(iii) The impact a proposed public bus passenger service would have
on public passenger transport services that are subject to a public
transport services contract under Part 3, Chapter 2 of the Act of 2008 on
or in the vicinity of the proposed route
Bus ireann have for years cross subsidised the underfunded PSO
services with profits from their commercial Expressway operation to the
tune of approximately 40 million plus Euro as per table 1.
This option is now longer available to Bus ireann because of the nonregulation of the commercial bus market, as a result the transport
network built up by decades of hard work is fragmenting before our very
eyes leaving the less densely populated portions of rural Ireland without
public transport.
The subvention levels at Bus ireann have decreased from 49.4
million in 2009 to 33.1 in 2015.
The third company in CI Group Irish Rail perhaps has the most difficult
task in trying to maintain 1673 KM of active track, 362 KM of other track,
147 stations while also carrying approximately 40 million passengers on
a widely dispersed network in 2015. The Government subvention
provided to operate the trains, maintain track and locomotives has
reduced from 189 million in 2007 to 98 million in 2015.
For the record Irish Rail received 98 million in subvention but
contributed 112 million to the exchequer. Similarly Bus ireann
received 33.7 million in subvention but contributed 59 million back in
taxes. Dublin Bus is a similar story.
Yet another myth that requires to be challenged, is this notion that
Transdev is a Private Company and is a shining example often peddled
by the privateers of how a Public Transport System can be operated.
Here are some startling facts, Transdev is actually owned by the
Consignment and Deposits Fund, the French equivalent of our NTMA.
Transdev Ireland Ltd, a holding company returns a dividend to the
French State every year, paid for by the Irish Taxpayer.
Interestingly the previous CEO of the NTA, Mr Gerry Murphy stated
before this very Committee in January 2013 that Public Transport is
underfunded in Ireland.
Whilst Public Transport is most certainly underfunded, the NTA which
does not physically operate any Transport services, (they act as

Regulator and Authority) does not appear to have problem sourcing
funds for its own budget, staff and administration costs, according to
their latest accounts was, including defined benefit pensions,
approximately 8 million.
Incidentally the modest DB pension of bus most workers, 125 per
week after 40 years service and contributing nearly 40,000, is under
grave threat due to funding cuts and Government rules on bond
allocation.
Some of the consultancy spending of the NTA, which is sucking money
from the transport funding envelope is questionable;
KPMG 808,000 July 2016 Public Transport advisory services
1,376,000 March 2016 compliance support services
285,000 December 2015 event management solutions
810,000 August 2015 finance services
2,843,000 April 2015 event management
1,973,000 April 2015 enterprise service solutions
1,310,000 January 2015 project management
374,000 August 2014 legal services
472,000 July 2014 consumer research
828,000 June 2014 data management systems
490,000 March 2014 information support services
317,000 September 2013 cost management services.
The above are just some of the examples from the NTA accounts of
where vital transport funding is being spent, additionally the NTA have
spent approximately 2 million on new London Transport style bus
stops which have yet to be erected.
The NTA Quango, or as we refer to it, the HSE on Wheels is being
facilitated in Empire Building to the detriment of Front-line Transport
Services.
Furthermore the NTA see themselves as a replica of Transport for
London, which it should be noted has led to soaring costs for the British
Taxpayer to the tune of a 5108% staggering increase in Subsidies.
At the same time Subvention to the CIE Group has been cut from
321.1 million in 2008 to 188.9 million in 2015. Thats a 41.2%
decrease. That is an unsustainable reduction.
Remember that transport is a public service, routes that service remote
estates, towns, villages and counties are under threat.
The safety of the rail is second to none but in future years we will only
avoid catastrophe by blind luck because the State is not investing
enough money to maintain current rolling stock, vehicles, stations,
depots and lines, never mind increasing services.
All of the reports over recent years, commissioned not by CIE, but by
the Department itself has shown that both Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann
are among the lowest subsidised Transport Companies in Europe, and
this before the recent reductions.
In the meantime it is well known that no railway in the World makes

money, save those Dutch, German and French Companies who
themselves are heavily subsidised inside their own borders, but suck
Taxpayers money from other States on the pretence that they are
Private Companies Tendering for State Contracts.
Semi-State transport workers are not overpaid by any means. Their
average salary hardly justifies working early mornings, late at night,
Saturdays, Sundays, Bank Holidays and everything in between.
The heroes of the private sector would like to see their horses entered
into the race to the bottom in terms of workers wages, see all staff
working for agencies, on short term contracts on zero hours or the
minimum wage.
The CIE companies are fully compliant and stringently observe all
aspects of the Organisation of Working Times Act and driving
regulation, unfortunately some (not all) private operators infringe and
ignore the rules giving unfair competitive advantage and potentially
putting lives at risk.
Unlike CIE, who return more to the State in terms of tax than is given in
subvention, staff at some private companies receive FIS while the
shareholders live a jet set lifestyle.
Sean F. Lemass, Tnaiste and Minister for Industry & Commerce in
1958 inserted into section 7 of the Transport Act that year that CIE shall
ensure Reasonable conditions of employment for its staff
Let not the vision of the past be destroyed by the blindness of neoliberal champions of Privatisation.
http://nbru.ie/union/index.php/s
taff-notice/national-bus-railunion-submission-to-theoireachtas-committee-ontransport-on-wednesday-19thoctober-2016/
It was a mistake to close

Stepaside Garda Station. Don't
make the same error with Bus
ireann Expressway
NBRU calls on Ross to Apply similar

Political Expediency to Rural Bus
Service as that which he is Applying to
Stepaside Garda Station in South
County Dublin
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON JAN - 29 - 2017
29TH January 2017 NBRU press release on Minister Rosss double

standards 2
29TH January 2017
NBRU PRESS RELEASE

NBRU calls on Ross to Apply similar Political Expediency to Rural Bus
Service as that which he is Applying to Stepaside Garda Station in
South County Dublin.
General Secretary Dermot OLeary said:
Reported statements from the Minister on the reopening of Stepaside
Garda Station contrast alarmingly with his dismissiveness of the
concerns of the hundreds of thousands of rural based commuters that
rely on the Bus ireann Expressway Service to access schools,
colleges, work and hospital appointments; those people are entitled to
ask why their public service is lower in the transport Ministers hierarchy
of importance than those of his own constituents
Mr OLeary went on to say:
Trotting out the hoary old chestnut of not getting involved in an
industrial dispute is designed to facilitate the Minister to as it were,
Stepaside from his responsibility to this most vital of Public Services,
whilst at the same time he is applying political pressure for the
reopening of another Public Service in his own backyard; political
hypocrisy of the highest order and an abdication of social responsibility
Bus ireann staff seek

similar pay rises to those at
Dublin Bus
Management at firm has ruled out pay rises and has plan
to separate Expressway service
Mon, Oct 17, 2016, 16:44 Updated: Mon, Oct 17, 2016, 16:50
Martin Wall
The National Bus and Rail Union has said it and other unions would be look
for Bus ireann workers to be treated no less favourably than their
counterparts at Dublin Bus.
Staff in Bus ireann will be seeking the same level of pay

increases as secured by those in Dublin Bus, the National
Bus and Rail Union has said.
In a letter to Minister for Transport Shane Ross, it said it
and other unions would be look for Bus ireann workers
to be treated no less favourably than their counterparts
at Dublin Bus, hopefully without the requirement to
engage in disruptive industrial action.
Dublin Bus staff secured increases of 11.25 per cent over
three years following a series of strikes over recent
weeks.
Highly controversial plans
However, management at Bus ireann has ruled out pay

rises for staff in general and has put forward highly
controversial plans to separate its loss-making
Expressway service from the rest of the company and
introduce lower terms and conditions for those working

there.
.
.
.
Bus ireann strike likely over plans to cut staff pay in

February
Ross to come under pressure in Dil over Bus ireann
crisis
Bus ireann may be insolvent by end of year if
losses continue
Management wants to reduce staffing levels at

Expressway by up to 150 and has not ruled out
compulsory redundancies.
Management consultants brought in by Bus ireann are
currently reviewing these plans.
In a letter sent to the Minister, NBRU general secretary
Dermot OLeary said trade unions would set out their
concerns at an Oireachtas committee hearing this week
in relation to the vision for public transport inclusive of
the level of State subvention.
We will take the opportunity at that forum to highlight a
number of areas of concern to the NBRU, not least those
which are very much part of your remit as Minister,
namely department policy and the role of the National
Transport Authority in overseeing/implementing this
policy.
HSE on wheels
Mr OLeary described the National Transport Authority

as the HSE on wheels and said it appeared to have all
the authority with no responsibility.
Nothing short of a comprehensive shareholder-led,
stakeholder-involved root-and-branch review of the
provision and funding of public transport will suffice.
Stymieing debate is not an option.
Large swathes of rural Ireland rely almost exclusively on
the humble public bus to engage in economic and social
activity.
Woe betide the politicians who would be held
responsible for the dismantling of these vital transport
links into hundreds of communities across Ireland.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bus-ireann-staffseek-similar-pay-rises-to-those-at-dublin-bus-1.283299
Micheal O'Leary, did you not tell the EU to Fuc# off

re Apple? Now you Fuc# re My Members. Ironic to
be Tweeting about a Twit.!
NBRU calls on Ross to engage in

public transport debate
Updated / Wednesday, 25 Jan 2017
Unions will tomorrow decide their next move in the dispute over
pay and cost cuts
This is the actual article body
The National Bus and Rail Union has called on

Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane
Ross to engage in a debate on the public transport
issues surrounding the Bus ireann dispute.
In a letter to the minister this evening, NBRU General
Secretary Dermot O'Leary refers to Mr

Ross' comments on RT's Prime Time last week,
when he said he was committed to sitting down and
speaking with the NBRU and other stakeholders after
the dispute was over to discuss his vision for the
future of public transport.
Mr O'Leary said that as there is no dispute currently
at Bus ireann, and that there was therefore no
impediment to initiating such a debate.
He said the NBRU was prepared to engage without
preconditions, but would expect other stakeholders to
come to the table with a similar commitment.
He said it behoved Mr Ross as the responsible line
minister to arrange a debate - which the union
accepted would include the current crisis at Bus
ireann - rather than to stand by like a spectator and
allow for what he called a contrived and forced
industrial relations dispute.
He said that would only impose potential travel chaos
on taxpayers relying on Bus ireann services, and
make it even harder to resolve the company's
difficulties.
Earlier, Mr Ross said that he would not get involved in
the industrial relations negotiations. He said that he
was very concerned about possible strike action.
Bus ireann warns of potential insolvency
Acting Bus ireann CEO Ray Hernan this afternoon

told an Oireachtas committee that the company could
be insolvent by the end of this calendar year without
drastic cost reduction measures.
Speaking at the Oireachtas Committee on Transport,
Tourism and Sport, Mr Hernan outlined the serious
financial difficulties facing the company, with losses
for 2016 now forecast to hit up to 9m.
Just weeks ago, those losses were estimated at 6m.
Mr Hernan told the committee that without a survival
plan outlining the potential for returning to profitability,
the board would not be able to sign off on the
company's accounts as a going concern by the end
of March deadline.
Asked about possible redundancies, he said
management had not yet finalised the optimal staff
numbers, adding that there is no voluntary severance
scheme on the agenda at the moment.
He could not yet identify which routes might be under
threat, but pledged to minimise the number of routes
that might potentially be withdrawn or reduced.
He said Bus ireann would liaise with the National
Transport Authority to ensure connectivity for
passengers was not reduced.
He said many of the cost-cutting measures presented
to staff were part of previous collective agreements
that had not been fully implemented across the
organisation - and outlined a number of areas with

scope for improvement.
He cited the absenteeism rate of between 6-7%
which he estimated at double the normal average.
He noted that fuel efficiency equipment known as
telematics had been installed on 270 buses some
years ago but had never been switched on.
He said that even a 1% reduction in fuel consumption
would save the company 350,000 a year.
He noted that all bus fleet maintenance is carried out
during the day, adding that it was no use having
vehicles in a garage during the day when they should
be out delivering services.
He said the cost of insurance claims had risen from
1.5 million in 2014 to almost 7m in 2016.
Mr Hernan pledged to pursue the Department of
Social Protection for an increase in subvention for the
Free Travel Scheme, but warned that additional
subvention alone would not resolve the company's
problems.
He said details of the salary and severance package
for the outgoing CEO Martin Nolan could not be
revealed due to confidentiality commitments.
Mr Hernan pledged to minimise the impact on staff
and take-home pay, but said what caused higher
costs was premium payments including overtime,
shift and rota allowances, and lunch expenses.
He said they needed to engage with unions to bring

payments back into line with what exists in the
marketplace.
Sinn Fin TD Imelda Munster described the
company's cost-cutting proposals to staff as
inflammatory, provocative and demeaning to workers,
who had not created the crisis.
She queried whether management would also be
taking a cut of up to 30% in their pay.
However, Mr Hernan said the 30% figure "thrown out"
by the unions was not based on facts according to his
calculations.
Ms Munster queried how the forecast for 2016 losses
could have risen from 6m some weeks ago to
almost 9m.
AAA-PBP TD Mick Barry said one worker had told
him the Bus ireann proposals would reduce his pay
by 136 a week, or up to 7,000 a year.
He noted that by contrast a human resources expert,
Brendan McCarthy, was being paid 2,000 a day,
which would equate to 750,000 over a year.
Mr Hernan said the details of that contract were
confidential and commercially sensitive.
He told the committee that his own salary has not yet
been agreed, but he believed the salary of Mr Nolan,
the outgoing CEO, was between 180,000 and
190,000 a year.
Asked about Bus ireann's contacts with the Minister

for Transport, Mr Hernan said he had met Shane
Ross once.
He had outlined the seriousness of the situation but
did not get into the details of what the company's
management was planning.
He said the Bus ireann chairman has kept the
department up to speed without getting into detail.
He noted that there were relatively few clerical staff
on Grade A, with a basic salary of around 25,000.
However, 45% of clerical workers were staff officers
on salaries of between 42,000 and 43,000 a year.
Mr Hernan said there may be too many people in
certain areas and not enough in other depots and
garages around the country and they needed the
right jobs in the right locations.
Fianna Fil TD Dara Calleary asked whether it was
usual for the principal shareholder, the minister for

transport, to distance himself from the restructuring of
a company on the verge of insolvency.
This evening Mr Ross said that he was concerned
about the possibility of strike action, but reiterated
that he would not be getting involved in industrial
relations negotiations.
Earlier in the Dil, Labour leader Brendan Howlin
accused Bus ireann of engaging in a public
relations doomsday exercise and allowing a race to
the bottom in terms and conditions.
He asked Taoiseach Enda Kenny if he supported the
current approach of Bus ireann management.
The Taoiseach said subvention to Bus ireann had
risen by 17% last year, and the central issue was the
loss-making Expressway service.
He said the dispute would not be resolved by
megaphone politics, but around the negotiating table.
http://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0125/847492-bus-eireann/
Today I hosted a Dil briefing w/ & on the crisis at

Bus ireann. I'm calling on to intervene urgently.
Bus ireann's "call for leadership from all sides"

insulting to workers given their recent actions.
National Bus and Rail Union Response

to Bus ireann Statement on seeking
possible Labour Court intervention
NBRU Press Release on possible Labour Court interventionNBRU

Press Release in Response to Bus Eireann Statement on Labour Court
Intervention Jan 24th
NBRU PRESS RELEASE
Response to Bus ireann Statement on seeking possible Labour Court
intervention.
it would appear that Bus ireann, not satisfied with attempting to ride
roughshod over its own staffs terms and conditions are now attempting
to play footloose and fancy free with the Industrial Relations institutions
of the State, notwithstanding the fact that this contrived dispute is not
one associated with so-called industrial relations norms, and
accordingly cannot be resolved without the assistance of all
stakeholders, the notion that a Semi-State Company would risk holding
the Labour Court to ridicule for political expediency is nothing short of
extraordinary
for Bus ireann to call for leadership from all sides to ensure
meaningful discussions can commence is as pitiful as it is insulting,
given that the role the New Management have performed to-date is to
provide cover for their paymasters at both Group and Department Level.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, the NBRU has this afternoon accepted
an invitation from the Labour Court to meet with the principals on all
sides in order, we believe to provide some clarity on some of the
conjecture surrounding the status of this dispute
http://nbru.ie/union/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/NBRU-PressRelease-on-possible-Labour-Court-intervention.pdf
NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary exposes

Sean Canney TD on the Claire Byrne show over his
stance on Bus ireann
National Bus and Rail Union General President is

now on Twitter
NBRU fully supports the Free travel scheme and

the right of citizens to have free travel.
Sufficient Government funding is required
NBRU responds to scandalous

attack on terms & conditions at
Bus ireann.
Policy makers hold bus workers
in contempt
NBRU respond to ludicrous "so-called cost saving

proposals" released by Bus ireann.
NBRU welcomes support from all political parties

Expressway workers did not create this crisis
NBRU press release in response

to the NTA statement on the
Bus ireann Expressway exit
Will Rural TD's protect the

National Bus Service? NBRU
campaign continues in Youghal
on January 26th
Bus ireann has been told to axe its

Expressway service completely but warned
that it faces "excessive" severance packages
of over 500,000 for certain senior
managers.
A consultants' report, seen by the Irish Independent, said
jettisoning Expressway - which links major towns and
cities in Ireland - would be "the most viable option".
The bus service would otherwise have to take drastic
measures including dropping six routes, achieve a profit in
its school bus business, and still get extra State funding.
The Grant Thornton assessment said it should drop the
Expressway service unless it can put its commercial
business on a sound financial footing.
However, it warned this could result in voluntary
severance packages of over 500,000 for "certain" senior
managers and an average redundancy settlement of
166,000. It said these costs were excessive.
The report said the company was a strong performer
within the CI Group until 2008 and had been largely
loss-making since then. This was mainly due to the issuing
of commercial bus licences to private operators on its most
lucrative routes. Expressway has struggled to compete
with new market entrants with lower cost bases.
Less than two years ago, the company unveiled 20 new
luxury coaches - offering access to 4G wifi, reclining
leather seats and charging points for phones and laptops at a cost of 9.2m in a bid to grow passenger numbers.
The board of Bus ireann has mandated a subcommittee
to work with a management team led by acting CEO Ray
Hernan to implement the cuts.
This followed chief executive Martin Nolan's
announcement this week that he is resigning.
The consultants have considered four options drawn up by
management to turn the company's fortunes around.
Viable
These are doing nothing, exiting Expressway,
restructuring Expressway, or revising the company's
business plan.
"Faced with a straight choice between option 2
(restructuring Expressway completely) and option 3
(exiting Expressway), we believe option 3 is the most
viable option given the relative certainty that comes with

an exit," it said.
In relation to the first option of doing nothing, it said
"clearly this option is not viable".
It found that in the absence of external funding or
shareholder support, the company would face solvency
issues within 24 months - as Transport Minister Shane
Ross recently warned.
The report said a restructuring of Expressway would cost
23.4m, mainly due to redundancy payments for over 200
staff, while the annual benefits would be 6.9m.
A total of 90 Expressway drivers would be affected, and 45
were expected to take redundancy. The report said there
would be "no other option" for inspectors than voluntary
redundancy. It said it was difficult to see how the cost of
restructuring could be absorbed by pay cuts, "particularly
given the current environment of public transport pay
pressure".
The consultants said there were six routes that were
unprofitable. Sources said these may include DublinBelfast, Dublin-Derry, Dublin-Galway, Dublin-Cork,
Dublin-Limerick and Dublin-Waterford.
It said they should be carefully examined to understand
the benefit of continuing them. The company is already
competing with a joint venture business, GoB on one of
the routes.
The report also revealed that the Department of Transport
under previous minister Paschal Donohoe asked Bus
ireann managers to prepare a cost-cutting plan "which
avoided large-scale industrial relations unrest" as its
financial difficulties worsened.
It said this plan was presented to the department early last
year but was rejected due to the cost, and management
came up with a new plan.
Bus ireann had earlier made restructuring plans to
reduce its largest cost of payroll in 2014 but options were
not progressed "due to concerns of industrial unrest across
the wider group".
Transport Minister Shane Ross defended his

response to the turmoil at Bus ireann
during bad tempered exchanges in the Dil.
He also denied that he talked about "axing" six to eight of
the transport company's Expressway routes at Cabinet,
though he said he discussed certain routes and "whether
they're commercial or not".
The situation at Bus ireann was raised in the Dil amid
its clash with unions over pay and the financial losses on
its Expressway service.
Fianna Fil transport spokesman Robert Troy said people
around the country are "terrified" they won't have a bus
service in the new year.
He said he has been contacted by people who rely on Bus
ireann to get to hospital appointments and visit relatives.
Addressing Mr Ross he said: "I don't know whether they've
been contacting you. I don't know did you ever travel on a
bus in your life. But there's people out there outside of
Dublin minister who rely on Bus ireann, who rely on the
Expressway service in order to go about their daily lives,"
he said.
Mr Ross didn't initially respond directly instead referring
to Mr Troy's absence from a transport committee meeting

this morning.
"We'll try and arrange the meetings of the joint committee
in future to suit you Deputy Troy so that you can shout and
roar down there as well as up here," he said.
The pair rowed about this throughout their exchange.
Mr Troy claimed the minister is "more interested in
tackling the man than tackling the issue". He said he had
tried to have the meeting rescheduled because he couldn't
attend due to a prior engagementt. He said it is "deeply
unfair and absolutely nonsensical" to suggest he doesn't
engage fully with the committee.
Returning to the subject of Bus ireann, Mr Ross said that
Mr Troy knows the "seriousness of the situation" at the
company because "I have publically commented on it
numerous times".
"For the Deputy to affect surprise at what I say or to affect
outrage is disingenuous at best."
Mr Ross said he has been repeatedly briefed by his officials
on the issue facing Bus ireann and has met the
chairperson of the company twice, most recently this week
"at which the stark challenges facing the company were
again underlined to me".
Earlier Mr Troy asked Mr Ross if he was willing to join
talks with Bus ireann management, the unions and the
National Transport Authority.
Mr Ross said he's been "clear" since taking office that
issues relating to pay and conditions at State-owned
companies "are a matter for discussion and agreement
between employers and the employees."
"Im aware that Bus ireann is considering options to
address the significant financial losses which result from
its commercial Expressway service. The formulation and
progression of those plans are a matter for Bus ireann,"
he added.
Sinn Fin TD Imelda Munster asked Mr Ross about
reports that he had told Cabinet that between six and eight
Expressway routes are at risk.
Mr Ross said that while he did address the issue of

"various routes" the numbers quoted in reports are
"inaccurate".
He said: "What has to be looked at obviously is certain
routes and whether theyre commercial or not, what
should be done about them.
"But I do not believe that I talked in terms of actually
axing routes," Mr Ross added.
He said he briefed ministers on the situation at Bus
ireann to inform them of what was happening, not
because there are decisions to be made at this time.
"I was keeping them in touch with the situation as it
existed then and the gravity of the situation which I
wouldnt like to underestimate," Mr Ross added.
Bus ireann 'faces

insolvency within 18
months'
Updated / Tuesday, 10 Jan 2017
Latest figures suggest that Bus ireann has just 18 months to

avoid financial disaster
State-owned bus company Bus ireann's financial

situation has worsened, and without urgent reforms it
could face insolvency within 18 months, according to
informed sources.
Late last year, Minister for Transport Shane Ross
briefed his Cabinet colleagues and said the company
was at crisis point, and could become insolvent within
24 months.
However, the latest figures suggest that the company
has just 18 months to avoid financial disaster.
It lost 5.6m in 2015, an estimated 6m in 2016, and
losses for 2017 are now forecast to exceed 7m.
A Bus ireann spokesperson confirmed that
yesterday the company's board considered a
restructuring report commissioned from Grant
Thornton aimed at "creating a viable company in the
interests of all stakeholders."
While concrete details of that strategy have not yet
been published, it is understood the company
envisages significant changes in work practices, pay,
terms and conditions, the closure or-subcontracting of
certain routes, as well as the separation of the lossmaking Expressway service into a separate
subsidiary.
Redundancies have not been ruled out.
The spokesperson said the Commercial and

Innovation subcommittee of the board has now been
mandated to work with the management team led by
acting CEO Ray Hernan, who yesterday took over
from outgoing CEO Martin Nolan.
Mr Hernan joined the company just before
Christmas having previously worked for Ryanair and
Arnotts.
The spokesperson said Bus ireann management
will present an implementation plan to union
representatives over the coming weeks - and possibly
as early as next week.
She added that the plan must address the
competitiveness and efficiency needs of all areas of
the business, which she described as essential to
secure the future of the company.
Other sources indicated that the situation is now so
urgent, that management will want to implement
some of the proposed changes by the end of
February - leaving just seven weeks for negotiation.
Unions will be apprehensive about the company
proposals, and are likely to resist them.
For their part, they have been pursuing significant
pay increases on behalf of their members.
They have also balloted for industrial action in the
event that the company introduces unilateral changes
without agreement.
A planned Labour Court hearing in December had to

be adjourned when the Bus ireann negotiators said
they could not discuss pay increases in isolation from
significant cost reductions and reforms.
The unions have also been running a nationwide
campaign to highlight the danger to rural bus routes.
General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union
Dermot O'Leary said for the last year, unions had
been advising the company, the Department of
Transport Tourism and Sport, and the National
Transport Authority that they will not accept a
situation where Bus ireann workers have to pay to
fix problems that have not been created by staff.
He said the fact was that the saturation of the

commercial bus market by the National Transport
Authority - while implementing government policy had led to the forecast losses of over 7m.
Mr O'Leary added that a resolution to the current
crisis would not be found between the company and

the trade unions in isolation from those who set and
implement policy.
Meanwhile, Independent TD Michael Fitzmaurice has
said that West of Ireland politicians who support the
Government should consider their position if Bus
ireann routes in the region are axed.
The Roscommon-Galway TD said rural routes must
be protected as Bus ireann prepares to implement a
significant cost reduction programme to address
mounting losses.
Mr Fitzmaurice said rural Ireland had borne the brunt
of the recession and further cuts simply could not be
tolerated.
He said while everyone favoured greater efficiencies
and delivering better services, that was not a license
to axe services purely based on their economic
performance.
He also noted in recent days the National Transport
Authority had announced a rise of 10 million in the
numbers using public transport in Ireland, with 2016
Bus ireann customer numbers rising by 1.7 million
to nearly 32 million.
After a Year of strike threats,we took millions more

journeys on public transport . But NTA ignore Bus
Eireann Crisis
NBRU General Secretary

Dermot O'Leary responds to
Dublin Bus Manager on the
issue of clarification of WRC
document
Frequently Asked Questions on the

WRC document relating to an 11.25%
pay rise for all bus workers
WRC PAY PROPOSAL

So, whats the low down with this Proposal?
OK, Firstly some Context, i.e. Background.
All of the Unions, NBRU, SIPTU, TSSA, TEEU & UNITE joined together
to lodge a Flat, no Strings Attached Pay Rise for all Dublin Bus Workers
back in April of this year.
This joint Union claim did not dilute or set aside any of the claims
advanced by individual Trade Unions prior to the recent WRC
Discussions, it was however felt that the most advantageous way of
achieving a long overdue Pay Rise for all Staff would be to join together
under one overarching umbrella.
So how does the WRC Process work?
The facilitators work from room to room with Unions and Company.
And?
Essentially the Company (Dublin Bus) would start off with a shopping
list of what they say they require to bring back to its paymasters to be
able, in its words to up offer on pay.
What did Dublin Bus want?
They started off by attempting to put some productivity items on
agenda, (this despite the commitment to drop Productivity preconditions
before talks).
How did that go?
Union officials refused to entertain this notion, even before it got onto
the page.
Keep going, explain how negotiating system works?
Well, the Company came into the room where all Trade Union
Representatives were gathered and set out its stall on what it felt it
could do to improve on pay.
Both sides then split into separate rooms in order to allow for side
sessions between Senior Reps and Management, the WRC facilitating
the exchanges.
What about the rest of the representatives?
They would remain in separate rooms and the Senior Reps would
communicate what was happening with negotiations on a time interval
basis (usually every hour or so) depending on what was on paper which
required to be considered.
Sounds very tedious and boring?
Thats is unfortunately how it works, though it has to be said that this
system at least allows for all Staff representatives to vet all the
proposals as they emanate.
What about the final proposal, was that scrutinised by the reps?
Scrutinised? It was ripped apart.
Explain?
Each Trade Union went to separate rooms in order to work through all
the versions of the proposal throughout the two days.
And the final proposal?
That obviously took the most time to assess, but the Final Proposal was
vetted and approved by all of the Trade Unions and its Representatives.
What would have happened if one Union had not approved the Final
Proposal?
It, the WRC Proposal would not be before the Dublin Bus Staff for
Consideration.
But Im hearing rumours that some reps who were at the WRC did not
agree with Proposal and are even encouraging staff to reject it?
Well, all we can say about that, is that people are elected to represent
their fellow workers at these types of negotiations, it is not always easy
to be that person, and trying to deliver what all members want is not
always possible.
But you said that all Trade Union Representatives saw and approved
the Final Proposal?
Well again, we have to be honest here and just reflect on what the WRC
said in the proposal, they said that all parties accept that the Contents
of the proposal was the best possible outcome that could be achieved in
the current circumstances.
So what about these rumours about reps saying different?
Look, if it was one of us presented with such a scenario we would ask
something like the following:
So (insert name), tell me, you dont agree with the Proposal and you
are suggesting that I vote against it?
Let us assume the answer is Yes
Okay; lets just say I do as you ask, can you explain for me what your
Plan B is to get us a better deal here?
Also can you tell me what it will cost me in terms of more Work
Stoppages should I decide to vote against?
Also would you accept that the lads in the LUAS did something similar
to what you are suggesting and ended up on Six days more strikes, and
more importantly accepting a lesser offer than the one which they were
originally offered?
We would respectfully suggest that such a line of questioning would (to
avoid embarrassment) be conducted on a one to one away from other
staff.
Now, the proposal itself:
Some of the issues contained in the WRC Proposal are proving difficult
for people to understand, to be honest some of them presented
difficulties for us as Senior Representatives, what we have tried to
achieve through the following is as honest and assessment as we feel
we can lay out here. We did consult with colleagues in Bus Eireann and
Irish Rail to assess their experiences of some of the issues.
Pay.
3 75% per year is being widely commented upon by those in the media
and other Trade Unions across society as being one which will set the
standard for other workers to aspire towards.
If the deal is accepted Dublin Bus workers will receive the following:
3.75% from 1st January 2016
Any backdated money will be on total gross earnings inclusive of shift,
rest-days, overtime and bank holidays.
Public commentators are now saying that we may be responsible for
forcing a rethink on the Landsdowne Road Agreement which pertains to
all Public Sector Workers across all Frontline Services, Nurses,
Teachers, Ambulance, Fire Services, and Prison Officers etc. An Garda
being the first to put themselves out there to seek something akin to our
offer.
The Landsdowne agreement allows for the following increases:
1st January The pension levy threshold (the salary amount above
which the levy is payable) increased to 26,083 (from the previous
threshold of 15,000).
Annualised salaries up to 24,000 increased by 2.5% through a partial
reversal of the 2010 public service pay cut.
Annualised salaries between 24,001 and 31,000 increased by 1%
via the same mechanism.
The combination of these 2016 measures will improve all public
service full time incomes by around 1,000 a year.
2017
1st January The pension levy threshold increases to 28,750.
1st September Annualised salaries up to 65,000 increase by
1,000 a year.
Restoration of the temporary pay reductions for staff earning more
than 65,000, which were negotiated as part of the Haddington Road
Agreement, will begin on 1st April 2017 and be completed on 1st
January 2018.
It might do no harm to reflect on the Landsdowne Road Agreement
here:
It is designed to Restore some of the pay that was taken from these
workers through the Emergency Powers contained in FEMPI, this
effectively meant that the Government was able to plunder the wages
and pension funds of hundreds and thousands of workers across
society.
1. Lean Management.
Lean Management is, in the words of one of our Rail Reps a
mechanism which allows for a change in how records are kept, changes
in procurement procedures etc, more importantly in the ten years it has

operated in Irish Rail it has had no negative impact on Train Drivers, it
does not involve changes to terms and conditions. Aside from this we
were able to insist that a clause protecting current agreements on
Terms and Conditions along with no Job Cuts being inserted.
Will some manager try to use this clause to change things?
Possible, but let us make one strong statement here. ALL CURRENT
AGREEMENTS REMAIN IN PLACE. THEY WILL NOT CHANGE FOR
OUR MEMBERS AS PART of ANY PART OF THIS WRC DEAL.
2. Drugs and Alcohol.
Dublin Bus have been chasing this one for a long time, we are aware
that Legislation may, sometime in the future force it on Staff in any case.
Our job between is to ensure that protections are built in to the Policy,
we will have a window of three months to agree a Code of Practice
here, again Irish Rail Staff will assist us on this one because under law
any safety critical employee in Irish Rail are subjected to random
testing.
3. First Care.
Again we received some help from our Bus Eireann colleagues here,
they tell us that have been able to agree a dilution of the original
proposal (same as Dublin Bus) to one which just now require a staff
member to ring in with Name, Staff Number, Location and length of time
envisaged for illness, e.g. self-cert or longer absence, the next call
(similar to current arrangement) is to indicate a return to work or
possibly extending illness duration.
There is absolutely no change to the CIE welfare scheme, selfcertification agreement or GP scheme.
4. Schedules.
This section basically reaffirms our current agreements on Schedules
which was agreed in 2013, it does however contain two subtle changes,
one being that the non-participation in discussions on Schedules will be
a de-facto acceptance that the Schedule (Bill) is okay and can be
implemented in week six.
One other change reduces the number of reps from three to two.
The idea here we are told is to ensure that Schedules (Bills) are turned
around within the designated timescale.
Dublin Bus tell us that they are being fined and having penalties
imposed by the NTA as a result of not getting Schedules in on time.
5. Pensions.
The issue of Pensions has been problematic for a considerable period
of time, this issue will require intensive discussions with the CIE Group,
it involves all Grades across the three Companies, it should be noted
that the Regular Wages (Drivers and Maintenance Operatives) is in
relatively good health compared to the 1951 Scheme.
It is the intention of all Unions to positively address the Regular Wages
Scheme immediately discussions begin on the area of Pensions.
There are three separate and distinct requests from the Unions on
Pensions, namely Incorporate Shift Pay into Basic Pay with a view to
ultimately improving the final Pension on retirement.
There are two other separate Pension items on Death in Service and
Spouse Partner Pension, both of these are included in the NBRU Claim
for Parity between Bus and Tram Drivers, more of which in the next
section.
The NBRU is committed to joining with colleagues (similar to this
present Pay Claim) and achieving a significant improvement on Pension
entitlements.
6. This Section is where we in the NBRU, hopefully with the support of
Trade Union colleagues will ultimately achieve parity with Luas Drivers
across a Range of Terms and Conditions.
The achievement of getting Dublin Bus to agree a Job Evaluation
cannot or should be underestimated, getting this evaluation completed
in a relatively short time frame will allow us to establish the actual pay
gap once and for all.
It is our contention that having allowed for all Pay Rises (Dublin Bus and
Luas) that the Pay Gap will effectively amount to in and around 6% plus.
This section dictates that the results of the Evaluation Process will be
considered by all Relevant Stakeholders, it will be at this point that our
campaign for Parity will ramp up to the point where we will demand that
the Stakeholders, inclusive of the Department and Dublin Bus will
require to close the gap between Dublin Bus Drivers and Tram Drivers.
7/8/9.
These three sections deal with how each party (Dublin Bus and Trade
Unions) should conduct business in the period from possible
acceptance to the conclusion of the WRC Pay Proposals, i.e. December
2018.
No further cost increasing claims (aside from those covered by the
Proposal) can be lodged by the Unions, the Company cannot introduce
anything that will impact on the Terms and Conditions of any group of
employees.
We feel we have to be clear on the contents of Sections 7, 8, & 9.
THERE IS NO BAN ON THE UNIONS CONDUCTING A BALLOT FOR
INDUSTRIAL ACTION.
THERE is No BAN ON THE TRADE UNIONS TAKING STRIKE ACTION
SHOULD IT BE REQUIRED.
The NBRU has never, or would ever continence such a course of Action
as to agree a NO STRIKE CLAUSE.
All we ask is that all Dublin Bus Staff will fully CONSIDER the WRC
Proposals on Pay.
This is NOT a PRODUCTIVITY PROPOSAL.
The NBRU along with the other Four Representative Trade Unions
Believe that this Proposal on Pay is the utmost that can be achieved at
this Time.
It is however up to each individual to make your own decision with

regard to your Informed View of the Proposal.
DERMOT OLEARY
General Secretary
http://nbru.ie/union/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/FAQS-on-WRCdocument.pdf
NBRU to hold General Meetings on Wednesday 5th

October at 11.00 hrs and 20.00 hrs in Teachers
Club Parnell Square
National Bus and Rail Union to hold 2

General meetings on Wednesday 5th
October
03th October 2016

GENERAL MEETING
The National Bus and Rail Union wishes to advise all Dublin Bus
workers that it intends to hold 2 general meetings on Wednesday 5th
October in the Teachers Club, 36 Parnell Square West at 11.00 hrs and
20.00 hrs to discuss the WRC document.
Please note that all workers regardless of union affiliation or grade are
welcome to attend.
All senior officials and representatives will be in attendance.
Issued by the National Bus and Rail union
NBRU Agree to Suspend 48 Hour

Stoppage in Order to Engage in
Intensive and Comprehensive
Discussions on a Settlement of the
Dispute for the Benefit of Commuters
and Dublin Bus Staff.
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON SEP - 26 - 2016
NBRU PRESS RELEASE

NBRU Agree to Suspend 48 Hour Stoppage in Order to Engage in
Intensive and Comprehensive Discussions on a Settlement of the
Dispute for the Benefit of Commuters and Dublin Bus Staff.
In agreeing to suspend our members industrial action we are placing
our trust in the WRC and its assessment, following its separate
exploratory discussions with Dublin Bus, that significant progress can
be achieved over the next number of days in order to find a resolution to
this dispute
The onus is now very much on Dublin Bus to come to the negotiating
table and step up to the plate to go significantly beyond what has
already been rejected by all of the Staff and work with the Trade Unions
towards achieving a satisfactory resolution of this dispute, falling short is
simply not an option for commuters and staff alike
NBRU agree to attend at the WRC for

exploratory talks on Monday 26th
September without Precondition
NBRU agree to attend at the WRC for exploratory talks on Monday 26th
September without Precondition.
Whilst the request to attend at talks without preconditions is something
the Trade Unions have long been calling for, the fact is that our
members are extremely angry that the inaction to-date by the Company
and the Department of Transport has caused severe disruption to
commuters and staff alike, the NBRU focus from the commencement of
this dispute has been geared towards getting Dublin Bus to attend at
discussions in order to address the fact that its own staff are deserving
of a fair and adequate wage rise after eight long years of austerity
enforced pay stagnation and pay cuts

Any decision we have to take in relation to postponing our members
industrial action is one which we will. Only consider after first
establishing if Dublin Bus are serious about engaging in comprehensive
discussions towards a resolution of this dispute on behalf of the 400,000
commuters and 3,500 staff
Shane Ross says he won't ride

in on a white horse to stop the
Dublin Bus strikes
He said he will not open the State cheque book to solve the issue and
says the two sides have to start talking
Sep 21st 2016
MINISTER FOR TRANSPORT Shane Ross said he will not

be intervening in the Dublin Bus dispute.
Last week, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU)
announced 13 additional days of strike action.
The next work stoppage is due to take place on 23 and 24
September.
Im not going to ride in on a white horse in shining armour
and have a cheque book and say thats going to solve the
problem, Ross told the Joint Oireachtas Committee on
Transport, Tourism and Sport today.
That would be exactly the wrong thing to do. This dispute, as
everybody knows, will be resolved.It wont be resolved if I
participate in it in a way which would make things far worse.
Ministers intervention
Opposition parties, Sinn Fin and Fianna Fil, have called
for the minister to intervene in the dispute, which has
resulted in some 400,000 people who use Dublin Bus every
weekday discommoded.
We are in the middle of a very sensitive time, said Ross,
highlighting that unions representing Bus ireann workers
today left talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.
He said he has the same message for unions as he does for
management.
I dont want to see the management of Dublin Bus or Bus
ireann or Iarnrd Eireann coming to me or assuming for
one moment that the cheque book is going to open either.
Ross said the governments position is quite clear.
This has to be settled between the two parties.
Union demands
Unions are seeking a 15% pay increase over the next three
years for drivers and a 6% rise they say they were due to get
under an agreement in 2009, but which was deferred.
The industrial action comes about after unions rejected a
Labour Court-recommended 8.25% increase over the next
three years.
This week, the NBRU highlighted that the
State subvention to Dublin Bus has fallen by 32.6% or 28
million since 2008.
The minister acknowledged that Ireland is very low on the
subvention league table.
He said he sees this as a separate issue, but added the
subvention is going to be increased next year.
I am looking for a fairly healthy increase in subvention.
Staff at Dublin Bus are to march on Leinster House next

Tuesday as part of their pay dispute with the company.
The five Trade Unions - the NBRU, Siptu, the TSSA, Unite and
the TEEU - have organised the march which will start at the
Garden of Rememberance at noon on Tuesday, September
27, and march down O'Connell Street and Molesworth Street
before finishing outside Leinster House.
Drivers at Dublin Bus are set to start their fifth day of industrial
action begins at midnight tonight.
They are continuing to demand a 15% pay rise - almost twice
what the Labour Court has recommended, saying they have
not received a pay rise since 2008.
In a statement, the unions said: "Government subsidies to
compensate for the operation of loss making routes have
decreased by 27m while massive productivity has been
conceded in two separate cost cutting plans in 2009 and 2013.
"Dublin Bus is now back in profit but management, the
Government, Department, NTA and CIE do not value bus
workers. "
Bus workers march to Leinster
House, Tuesday 27th

September. Assembling at 12
noon at the Garden of
Remembrance
letter-to-minister-ross.
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/NBRU-Press-ReleaseLetter-to-Minister-Ross.pdf
National Bus and Rail Union respond to

Dublin Bus CEO, Ray Coyne
Mr Ray Coyne
Chief Executive
Dublin Bus
OConnell Street
Dublin 1
14th September 2016
Re: Correspondence to All Staff/Industrial Action
Dear Sir,
I refer to the above and your correspondence to all staff in relation to
the current dispute at Dublin Bus.
It is not my desire to purposely pick or poke holes in to your assessment
of the Labour Court Recommendation and in particular your contention
that it contains a reasonability with regard to acknowledging the
contributions of all employees to the companys recent financial
recovery.
However I do feel it would be remiss of me not to state the obvious
here, staff clearly disagree with this assessment, after all they rejected
the Recommendation across all Grades.
The industry norm to which you refer across public and private sector
has one fundamental supporting mechanism, they are supported by
agreements from those who work across those specific sectors.

The absence of an agreement on pay over eight long years, peppered
in between with cuts to take home pay has is the main, been the central
motivator behind Dublin Bus staffs demand to seek significant pay rise.
You then go on to refer to the Recommendation as having the potential
for improving on the 8.25% (rejected) contained therein, through
productivity discussions across the various grades.
Again I have to remind you that this Recommendation has been
rejected in its entirety, including those elements associated with
productivity and pensions.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, there is one area on which I think we can
both agree, that is that it is in everyones interest to resolve this dispute
as quickly as possible.
Furthermore I cannot find any argument with your belief that the
Workplace Relations Commission is the correct forum for further
engagement.
However the setting of preconditions on any potential pay discussions
on issues such as productivity, particularly given the fact that a
significant amount has already been delivered, is not conducive to
resolving this dispute.
The NBRU along with Trade Union colleagues are already on the record
s stating our willingness to engage in discussions on pay. This remains
our position.
Yours Sincerely
__________________
DERMOT O LEARY
General Secretary
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/National-Bus-and-RailUnion-response-to-Ray-Coyne-CEO-of-DublinBus.pdf
NBRU leaflet explaining the

Dublin Bus strike from an
ordinary bus workers

perspective
National Bus and Rail Union leaflet
explaining the Dublin Bus strike
Another 48 Hours of Bus Strikes

The following is a conversation between a Bus Driver and his Neighbour
(Joe Soap) held in their Local Bar about Dublin Bus and the Dispute.
The characters portrayed herein (Minister Ross and Department, NTA,
CIE and Dublin Bus personnel aside) are fictitious. No identification with
actual persons is intended or should be inferred.
J.S. Exactly who is in Charge?
B.D. First Port of Call has to be the Minister for Transport Shane Ross.
J.S. What has he done?
B.D. The NBRU sent him a comprehensive Document on the 10th June,
outlining exactly what would happen at Dublin Bus if workers issues
were not satisfactorily addressed.
J.S. What issues?
B.D. Eight years without a Pay Rise, Money Owed, Two Pay Cuts.
J.S. What has the Minister done since he was sent Document?
B.D. Well, hes been to France for the Euros (hes also Minister for
Sport), hes been to Rio for Olympics where among other official duties
he had a chat with Pat Hickey.
J.S. Anything else of note?
B.D. Well, he was on the Late Late Show where he described his
Transport brief as being a doddle.
J.S. What about his inner circle?
B.D. Well, he has recently (legitimately) appointed a Sunday
Independent colleague to the post of his PR Person at a cost, we
believe of circa 80000!!
J.S. Anything else worthy of mention Minister Ross wise?
B.D. He has also found the time to object to some much needed
housing in his South Dublin Constituency, he can of course be forgiven
for this, after all, isnt all politics local even that of the New Variety of
politics regularly espoused by said Mr Ross.
J.S. How many varieties of New Ross Politics are there?
B.D. Not sure really, though Heinz 57 comes to mind when you look at
some of the goings on, between the eight amendment, the Apple
debacle and the hard work put in by the Peoples Champion in order to
keep John Halligan in Government!!!
J.S. But what has the Minister done in relation to the Dublin Bus
Dispute?
B.D. Eh, not a whole lot really, well apart from expressing
disappointment, oh and suggesting that both sides should go back to

the table.
J.S. Is that not reasonable?
B.D. It most certainly is, though with one noteworthy caveat, HE is the
MINISTER, he Needs to ALLOW/ ENABLE Dublin Bus to NEGOTIATE.
J.S. Can you explain?
B.D. The Minister of the day, in this case, ROSS the BOSS is the sole
Shareholder of Dublin Bus, the Companys Management would need
his permission, or at least that of his Department to come back to the
Negotiating table with some positive news for Bus Workers.
J.S. So, what about the Department?
B.D. Exactly, what about them indeed, not a Dickie Bird from the
Mandarins, oh how the Peoples Champion used to wax lyrical about
them Boyos when he had the freedom to rant across the SINDO.
J.S. Anyone one else I should know about?
B.D. The National Transport Authority (NTA).
J.S. Who are they?
B.D. They are the Body charged with Regulating and Funding Public
Transport in Ireland.
J.S. Thought that was CIE?
B.D. So did CIE..!
J.S. Seriously, what does this NTA gang really do?
B.D Its effectively in charge of Bus, Train, Taxi, Bicycle and whatever
youre having yourself Transport in Ireland.
J.S. Okay, surely they can help with this Dispute?
B.D. You would have thought so, but alas, to-date nothing from them,
well nothing positive at least.
J.S. Thats a bit vague, can you explain?
B.D. The only role the NTA have played so far in this dispute is one of
negativity, in fact at the end of 2015 they took 2m from Dublin Bus
because they, Dublin Bus were allegedly making too much profit. Which
would be a bit like agreeing to pay a Builder a 1000 to build a wall only
to pay him 900 after hes finished. !!
J.S. Hold it, I thought you said they were the Regulation and Funding
Body for Public Transport, why would they interfere with Dublin Buss
Finances?
B.D Now, apologies in advance for this, but here is my best shot, you
see the NTA awarded Dublin Bus a Public Service Obligation Contract
to Run Bus Services in Dublin.
J.S. They gave them what?
B.D. Not all Bus Routes are profitable, in fact the majority of them are
loss making, there the State has to step in and help to provide a Service
for the Community, this is called Subvention, necessary of course to
help run the Buses.
J.S. Ok, lets just say I understand that piece (!), what in the name of
battered buses is going on here?
Im being told on one hand that the public funding of Dublin Bus is
necessary in order to provide otherwise unprofitable Bus Services, on
the other Im told by you the Workers that this funding (Subvention) has
been cut by over 27m since 2008.
Just so I have this straight now, not alone was 27m taken from the
funding, but another 2m taken only last year, anymore?
B.D. Well yes, the NTA will be taking approximately 400000 a day from
Dublin Bus for every day there is a stoppages.
J.S. Sorry, but this is mind boggling, you have previously told me that ye
lot didnt get a Pay Rise since 2008, are owed 6% and have suffered
two pay cuts and this NTA crowd have taken a significant Wad from
Dublin Bus?
B.D. Yes, but thats not nearly the full story, no room on here for the long
version. Sorry!!
J.S Did I not see an article last Saturday in the Irish Times which said
the real Subvention, Public Funding was closer to 100m than the 57m
you mentioned?
B.D That you did, but thats the NTA spinning a yarn, there is a huge
difference between providing vital Infrastructure and funding necessary
Public Bus Services.
J.S. Im going to be sorry I asked this now, but why are you on about
Infrastructure, sur were talking about Buses here, its not Bridges or
Roads of even new Railway Lines?
B.D. The NTA figures in the Irish Times article, circa 100m in Dublin
Buss Public Funding money was actually exaggerated on the basis that
they factored in the cost of new buses in that figure.
J.S. Ok, but are they correct?
B.D. Technically yes, but if you are going to enter the debate on Public
Transport Provision, surely you should be fair and make comparisons
with how much is spent on other Public Transport Infrastructure.
J.S. Such as?
B.D. The 1.6 BILLION spent on LUAS infrastructure would be a FAIR
COMPARISON.
J.S. Feck, how many Buses would that kinda money buy?
B.D. Approximately 4500 buses That translates to 50 years plus
supply of Buses
J.S. But this NTA crowd, are they not accountable??
B.D. While the NTA quango has been cutting the funding to front line
transport services it has been spending millions on consultants with
some recent examples including the likes of 472,000 on consumer
research, 338,000 on mapping services, 374,000 on legal services,
and 828,000 on data management.
NTA; All the AUTHORITY but NO RESPONSIBILTY
J.S. To whom Should I Complain? Whos in Charge?
MINISTER SHANE ROSS? minister@dttas.ie
Department? grahamdoyle@dttas.ie
NTA? anne.graham@nationaltransportauthority.ie
CIE CHAIRMAN? Vivienne.jupp@cie.ie
Dublin Bus Chairman? ultan.courtney@dublinbus.ie
TIME TO PLAY FAIR WITH COMMUTERS AND STAFF
NBRU calls upon "official

Ireland". to act in the Dublin
Bus dispute
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/NBRU
-calls-on-official-Ireland-to-actin-bus-dispute.pdf
Cabinet upheaval is distracting Transport
Minister Shane Ross and preventing him
from resolving the Dublin Bus pay dispute,
according to the National Bus and Railway
Union (NBRU).
The union criticised junior minister John Halligan for
using up his Independent Alliance colleague's time to push
a personal agenda and distract Mr Ross.
NBRU general secretary Dermot O'Leary said it is
"farcical" that Mr Ross spent a large portion of last week
trying to convince Mr Halligan to stay in government
while more than 400,000 commuters faced chaos in the
capital.
Unions are not expecting a resolution in the pay dispute
before further strike action is taken next Thursday and
Friday, with communication channels closed between
unions, Dublin Bus and the Government.
"Nobody has been talking to us directly or through
backchannels," said Mr O'Leary.
"The silence is deafening.
My understanding is that the minister spent many hours
talking to John Halligan this week, who is having his own

difficulties in government at the moment.
"The public will look at a situation where Shane Ross, an
Independent minister, spent hours trying to convince
another Independent to stay in government and support
Fine Gael.
"I would have thought if he had spent a fraction of that
time used trying to persuade a colleague to stay in
government on the bus dispute, we might be further down
the road in trying to resolve it."
The transport chaos of Thursday and Friday, when bus
commuters were forced to find alternative travel
arrangements, is likely to be repeated this week.
Drivers went on strike in pursuit of a 15pc pay increase.
Workers at the company previously rejected an 8.25pc pay
rise suggested by the Labour Court.
Further strike action is scheduled to take place on
Thursday and Friday this week, with two further strikes
planned for the following Friday and Saturday.
Siptu organiser John Murphy said the unions will meet on
Thursday to discuss the possibility of an all-out strike.
"If the first efforts don't work out it is likely we will have
an all-out strike. We don't know yet but it will be discussed
on Thursday," he said.
"The likelihood is that if there is no movement by
Thursday we will see where we are. People seem to be
rowing in behind the dispute so it is likely that the route
we will take will be spoken about then."
Mr O'Leary said all-out strike action was an option after
these planned disputes but it was not something he would
like to see: "We take our lead from the lads on the picket
line. The (Transport) Minister, coming from South Dublin,
is in a constituency that has various options around public
transport in terms of the Luas, Dart and the bus.
"There are people living in the greater Dublin area, North
County Dublin in particular, who are terribly affected.
Other politicians out there who are in government need to
take a good hard look at themselves," he added.
Joan Collins TD and Dermot

Connolly supporting striking
Dublin Bus workers at Ringsend

Garage
NBRU Calls on Dublin Bus and the

Department of Transport to Play Fair
with Bus Workers on Pay
7th September 2016

NBRU PRESS RELEASE
NBRU Calls on Dublin Bus and the Department of Transport to Play Fair
with Bus Workers on Pay.
The Trade Union Group at Dublin Bus have demonstrated clear
leadership in terms of putting the respective claims of individual grades
to one side in order to achieve a fair salary increase for all Dublin Bus
Workers, the NBRU claim for pay parity between Bus and Tram Drivers
is one which we contend will stand on its own merits as a component of
a potential solution towards achieving a resolution of this particular
dispute, simply put, the acceptance by Dublin Bus and the Shareholder
(Minister) that Bus Workers are long overdue a significant pay award
will act as a bridge towards getting all parties into a space where
individual Grades claims can be addressed without the backdrop of a
dispute hanging over customers and staff alike
It is surely time for a reciprocation of this leadership from those who
purport to have the best interests of the Citizens of our Capital City at
heart, allowing for a continuation of the excellent service being provided
on a daily basis by Bus Workers, it would also nullify the undoubted
reputational damage that a preventable dispute would visit upon Brand

Ireland
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/09/NBRU-Press-Release-FAIRSalary-for-bus-workers.pdf
Former Transport Minister Leo Varadkar

has waded into the ongoing row at Dublin
Bus, by defending his decision to open bus
routes to private tender.
07/09/2016
Mr Varadkar's input comes after the National Bus and

Railway Workers' Union (NBRU) issued leaflets for
commuters ahead of planned strikes, criticising recent
Fine Gael and Government policy. His response stands in
stark contrast to the inaction of current Transport
Minister Shane Ross.
Mr Ross, who said last weekend that the transport
portfolio was "a doddle compared to sport", has since
refused to make any comment on the looming strikes and
travel mayhem that will grip the capital.

The NBRU leaflet claimed that, without Government
funding, "Dublin would end up being a wasteland
populated by profiteers taking huge amounts of taxpayers'
money" and higher bus fares.
The leaflet, aimed at garnering support for staff seeking a
15pc pay increase, said Fine Gael had "put 10pc of Dublin
Bus up for privatisation".
Mr Varadkar, who became Social Protection Minister in
May, was in charge of the transport portfolio when that
decision to tender for certain routes was made.
He has defended the move, referring to Aer Lingus and
Ryanair to make his point.
"Competition is good for passengers and good for
taxpayers. Ryanair competing with Aer Lingus
transformed aviation and made it affordable for so many
more people to travel to and from Ireland.
"Luas is run by a private company, provides an excellent
service and requires no subsidies from the taxpayer," he
said in a statement to the Irish Independent.
"Why should buses be any different? At the very least, it's
worth a try to see if private bus operators can provide a
better service. They deserve a chance to show us what they
can do," he added.
Meanwhile, there's no relief in sight for the around
400,000 regular Dublin Bus commuters.
Luas operator Transdev confirmed no extra trams were
available to cover demand during the strikes tomorrow
and Friday and Irish Rail has also confirmed it was
working to capacity and could not expand its service.
Calls by AA Roadwatch for private motorists to be allowed
to drive in bus lanes during the strikes have been rejected
by the National Transport Authority (NTA).
Commuters have been urged to leave extra time for travel
and to car-pool as much as possible.
And motorists have been warned to be aware of extra
pedestrians and cyclists on the roads, some of whom may
not have ridden a bike in a long time.
The expected traffic black spots have been identified as

routes into the city centre from suburban areas with no
access to Luas or Dart services, including the N11 and
Swords Road.
Solidarity with workers taking a stand for their

pay and conditions
Ross has not met unions

who will bring chaos to
the capital
Commuter misery while minister 'at
sea'
Kevin Doyle Twitter
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
07/09/2016
1
Minister for Transport Shane Ross. Pic Tom Burke
Transport Minister Shane Ross took four

months to meet with bosses from Dublin
Bus - and has yet to meet with unions
spearheading industrial action over pay.
Despite the looming chaos for commuters, the minister
has also failed to meet Irish Rail or Bus ireann since
taking office, the Irish Independent can reveal.
Around 400,000 people are set to be affected from 9pm
tonight when bus services in the capital stop ahead of a
two-day strike, tomorrow and Friday.
Despite this, he described the transport section of his work
as a "doddle" compared to the sport portfolio at the
weekend.
After taking office at the start of May, Mr Ross was heavily
briefed on the likelihood of industrial action at Dublin
Bus, where 3,364 employees want pay increases of not less
than 3.8pc per year.
He was also warned that similar problems are festering at
Bus ireann, while Irish Rail is in dispute with workers
over pay and the proposed introduction of a new 10minute Dart service.
But it has now emerged that Mr Ross only met Dublin Bus
CEO Ray Coyne and chairman Ultan Courtney for the first
time eight days ago.
Separately, he cancelled an introductory meeting with the
management from Bus ireann last week due to the EU
Commission's decision on the Apple tax case.
And his first meeting with Irish Rail is set for tomorrow - a
full four months and two days after taking office.
In the same period Mr Ross's diary shows that he regularly
spends Fridays attending constituency events in Dublin
Rathdown and has held meetings with members of the
Independent Alliance about local issues such as the cycle
greenway in Athlone. Fianna Fil's transport spokesperson
Robert Troy claimed Mr Ross's lack of urgency in
familiarising himself with the companies shows he is
"interested in everything but his portfolio".
The minister has met with CI - but Mr Troy said that the
fact he hasn't met the individual companies under his
supervision shows he "doesn't realise the issues facing
them".
The Longford/Westmeath TD, who has received briefings
from the transport bodies as well as the key unions Siptu
and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), said the
minister is "just totally at sea".
"We've had no sense of direction or vision from the major
stakeholder, the Minister for Transport," he added.
In response to a series of questions relating to his agenda,
the Department of Transport last night replied: "The
Minister has met CI and Dublin Bus and is due to meet
Irish Rail and Bus ireann shortly.
"Since assuming office the Minister continues to be briefed
fully by his Department on all key aspects of CI's
business activities including industrial relations matters."
Mr Ross has had ample warning that strikes were possible.
As well as the briefing notes prepared for Mr Ross by his
officials, the General Secretary of the NBRU, Dermot
O'Leary, wrote to him on June 10 last.
Mr O'Leary told the Irish Independent that while he would
afford the minister a "settling-in period" it is now
"imperative that Mr Ross should provide leadership in
finding a resolution to this dispute".
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/ross-has-notmet-unions-who-will-bring-chaos-to-the-capital35028148.html
No option' other than

stopping services on
Wednesday ahead of
Thursday's strike - Dublin
Bus
Cian Murray
PUBLISHED
06/09/2016
1
Dublin buses parked up at Broadstone Garage
Dublin Bus will stop services at 9pm
tomorrow in order to have their buses back

at the depot ahead of Thursday and Friday's
industrial action.
7
Services will cease at 9pm on Wednesday, not Thursday

morning as originally anticipated.
A statement released from Dublin Bus said this stoppage is
to ensure the safe and secure return of buses to each
depot prior to the commencement of industrial action.
The last Dublin Bus will leave the depot at 21:00 on
Wednesday evening.
Clodhna N Fhatharta, media and communications
manager for Dublin Bus, said that this decision was made
by Dublin Bus management, rather than the unions.
"This decision was made by Dublin Bus management on
the grounds of health and safety. We have no option but to
finish services at 9pm due to the trade unions confirming
the strike action will take place from midnight tomorrow.
"This decision was made to ensure that all buses (981 in
our fleet) can return to each of our seven depots and be
parked up safely and securely," she told Independent.ie.
Dublin Bus apologises to customers for this inconvenience
which is being caused due to industrial action by all grades
of employees.
This will affect a number of services, including the the
Airlink, the Ghost Tour which is cancelled entirely on
Wednesday and the Nitelink.
This follows confirmation that the National Bus and Rail
Union (NBRU) and Siptu will stage three 48 hour
stoppages over the next month, the first of which will take
place on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 of September.
Approximately 400,000 passengers will be affected on
Thursday and Friday as a result of the action.
Services will cease at 9pm on Wednesday, not Thursday
morning as originally anticipated.
A statement released from Dublin Bus said this stoppage is
to ensure the safe and secure return of buses to each
depot prior to the commencement of industrial action.

The last Dublin Bus will leave the depot at 21:00 on
Wednesday evening.
Clodhna N Fhatharta, media and communications
manager for Dublin Bus, said that this decision was made
by Dublin Bus management, rather than the unions.
"This decision was made by Dublin Bus management on
the grounds of health and safety. We have no option but to
finish services at 9pm due to the trade unions confirming
the strike action will take place from midnight tomorrow.
"This decision was made to ensure that all buses (981 in
our fleet) can return to each of our seven depots and be
parked up safely and securely," she told Independent.ie.
Dublin Bus apologises to customers for this inconvenience
which is being caused due to industrial action by all grades
of employees.
This will affect a number of services, including the the
Airlink, the Ghost Tour which is cancelled entirely on
Wednesday and the Nitelink.
This follows confirmation that the National Bus and Rail
Union (NBRU) and Siptu will stage three 48 hour
stoppages over the next month, the first of which will take
place on Thursday 8 and Friday 9 of September.
Approximately 400,000 passengers will be affected on
Thursday and Friday as a result of the action.
http://www.independent.ie/irishnews/news/article35026015.ece
NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary on

Newatalk at 7.45 speaking about the bus strike
NBRU Advises Caution in Relation to

the Possibility of a Resolution to the
Dublin Bus Dispute after Minister
welcomes Company initiative to seek
meeting with Trade Union Group
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON AUG - 31 - 2016
31th August 2016

NBRU PRESS RELEASE
NBRU Press Release on Dublin Bus strike talks.
we share the sentiments expressed today by the Minister for Transport,
however is important that the shareholder (Minister) would assist by
using his good offices towards providing the necessary assistance to
the Company to enable it to address the legitimate pay claim made on
behalf of all staff; neither staff nor commuters will tolerate being treated
to the spectacle of a Lannigans Ball type charade of the unions being
asked to step in to be told that there is no more to offer and then having
to step out again and trundle towards the inevitably of an unnecessary
dispute

the NBRU will of course accept an invitation to meet with Dublin Bus,
we will attend in resolution mode, we have already demonstrated along
with trade union colleagues, that we are prepared to build our way
towards realising the ambitions of our members on a step by step basis,
the first building block in the process being the requirement for the
Company to recognise and address the challenge thrown down by the
rejection of the Labour Court Recommendation (2.75% per year),
however both parties ability to come back to the table unfetteredd is
fundamental in achieving a resolution to this dispute
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/NBRU-Press-Release-onDublin-Bus-strike-talks.pdf
NBRU Press Release on Dublin

Bus's invitation to Trade Unions
to attend talks at 3pm Friday
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/NBRU-Press-Release-onDublin-Bus-strike-talks.pdf
we share the sentiments expressed today by the Minister for Transport,
however is important that the shareholder (Minister) would assist by
using his good offices towards providing the necessary assistance to
the Company to enable it to address the legitimate pay claim made on
behalf of all staff; neither staff nor commuters will tolerate being treated
to the spectacle of a Lannigans Ball type charade of the unions being
asked to step in to be told that there is no more to offer and then having
to step out again and trundle towards the inevitably of an unnecessary
dispute
the NBRU will of course accept an invitation to meet with Dublin Bus,
we will attend in resolution mode, we have already demonstrated along
with trade union colleagues, that we are prepared to build our way
towards realising the ambitions of our members on a step by step basis,
the first building block in the process being the requirement for the
Company to recognise and address the challenge thrown down by the
rejection of the Labour Court Recommendation (2.75% per year),
however both parties ability to come back to the table unfetteredd is
fundamental in achieving a resolution to this dispute
NBRU and SIPTU to attend the WRC for talks

tomorrow. Ballot for industrial action suspended
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/08/NBRU-SIPTU-joint-PressRelease-on-WRC-talks.pdf
NBRU GS Dermot O'Leary,

warns of an "appalling vista"
that could leave 330,000
Dublin Bus commuters
stranded
Railway unions threaten

industrial action ahead of
talks
Iarnrd ireann must agree to reduce hours for train
drivers, NBRU and Siptu warn
Tue, Jul 26, 2016, 17:53
Martin Wall
A Dart service in Dublin. Trade unions have warned of industrial conflict on the
railways unless Iarnrd ireann reduces working hours for train drivers and
improves pay and conditions. File photograph: Cyril Byrne/The Irish Times
Trade unions have warned of industrial conflict on the

railways unless Iarnrd ireann reduces working hours
for train drivers and improves pay and conditions.
Three days of talks between management at the Stateowned rail company and the National Bus and Rail
Union (NBRU) and Siptu are to get under way on
Wednesday on issues such as payment for productivity
measures, working hours for drivers in the Republic of
Ireland and issues surrounding the training of new
drivers.
Unions had contended that their members in the
company had not been paid for productivity concessions
dating back several years, while drivers argued that their
working week was longer than that in place for their
.
.
comparators in Northern Ireland and Britain.

A report on these issues was drawn up by the Labour
Court several weeks ago.
Union statement
In a joint statement, NBRU general secretary Dermot
OLeary and Siptu assistant organiser Paul Cullen said:
There have been long and protracted negotiations
stretching back over 10 years with regard to
improvements to train drivers terms and conditions.
Dublin public transport users face double disruption
Dublin Bus pay dispute: Clerical staff reject 8% offer
Unfortunately, it took a work stoppage last autumn to

bring a semblance of recognition to our members
concerns that they were being left behind in terms of
their ambitions to improve their conditions.
We are now on the final leg of the process towards
major improvements for our members.
The independent report has thrown up some
challenges for train drivers, not least the necessity to
reach a similar level of driving hours as their UK
counterparts.
Our members are prepared to discuss the broad agenda
set out in the report with a view towards embracing
some of the changes, which may be necessary to effect
the long overdue improvements to train drivers.
It is imperative that the company will reciprocate by
facilitating the reduction in the working week and
agreeing to improve the terms and conditions of its
driving resource.
Failure to do so will inevitably result in our members
having to resort to engaging in industrial action in order
to realise such improvements.
Commission talks
Iarnrd ireann said the talks at the Workplace
Relations Commission this week related to driver issues,
including the recent independent report, productivity,
comparative working time, conditions for train drivers
and driver training matters.

The company said: While the [independent] report
concluded that much of what was claimed [by drivers] as
past productivity either did not constitute productivity
or had already been addressed by previous agreements,
the Labour Court recommendation did provide for the
outcomes to be reviewed at the Workplace Relations
Commission.
The report itself states that further study is required in
some areas, including comparative conditions, for any
conclusions to be drawn.
In addition, it is imperative that issues surrounding cooperation with driver training are addressed and
resolved.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irishnews/railway-unions-threaten-industrial-actionahead-of-talks-1.2735152
Train Drivers Unions Appalled by Irish

Rail U-turn on Commitment to Engage
on All Issues
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON JUL - 27 - 2016
JOINT PRESS RELEASE

NBRU SIPTU Joint Press Release on Train Drivers Talks Process July
27th associated with Labour Court Commissioned Report.
General Secretary of the NBRU Dermot OLeary and Asst. Organiser of
SIPTU Utilities and Construction Division Paul Cullen said:
As recently as July 15th the Company committed to engaging on all
issues contained in the Independent Report, which it should be
remembered emanated from a Labour Court Recommendation following
industrial action last autumn, Irish Rail has now decided to set its face
against the preeminent Industrial Relations institution of the State by
thumbing its nose at the recommended course of action to engage on
all of the disputed issues, inclusive of Past productivity, reduction of the
working week and improvements to terms and conditions
Mr OLeary and Mr Cullen went on to say :
Both Unions today agreed at the WRC to also discuss the issue of
Driver Training as part of the agenda set by the Labour Court
Commissioned Report with the understanding, similar and consistent
with industrial relations norms, that nothing is agreed until everything is
agreed, we will as a matter of course return to the WRC tomorrow
morning in the hope that the Company will engage on the

comprehensive agenda set out in the Report, failure to so do will result
in an immediate ballot of our members for Industrial Action
DERMOT OLEARY PAUL CULLEN
GENERAL SECRETARY ASST. ORGANISER
0871956300 0876537403
http://nbru.ie/union/index.php/press-release/traindrivers-unions-appalled-by-irish-rail-u-turn-oncommitment-to-engage-on-all-issues/
The NBRU is recommending emphatic

rejection of the Labour Court pay
proposals for Dublin Bus
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON JUL - 21 - 2016
(No subject)
TO Tom OConnor
Thu 21/07/2016 13:39
Inbox; Sent Items
To:
Tom OConnor;
20th July 2016
NOTICE TO MEMBERS
Labour Court recommendation 21276:
Members will be aware that the Labour Court yesterday recommended
pay increases of 2.75% per year for a duration of three years.
The General Secretary of NBRU, on behalf of all Dublin Bus Workers
immediately expressed our disappointment at what was recommended
by the Labour Court.
We cannot or will not tolerate a situation whereby Bus Workers are
treated differently to those who do similar work to them.
The notion that the meagre pay rise recommend by the Labour Court
will not rank with Pension is as regrettable as it is disappointing, after all
our Pensions are already derisory.
The National Bus and Rail Union, in our detailed submission and FAIIR
Salary Plan document advocated for parity with LUAS drivers inclusive
of the following:
Parity with LUAS drivers pay on a flat pay rise increase 3.8%
approximately per yer
A material recognition of past productivity
Income Continuance paid by Dublin Bus
Equal consolidated pensionable pay inclusive of shift
Realistic attendance bonus equating to 7% of salary
While the court did take cognisance of some elements of the NBRU
plan by noting our claim on income continuance and pensionable pay
including shift pay, these items cannot be discussed until an equitable
and acceptable flat pat increase is firstly achieved.
The NBRU formalised our claim for parity in February of this year, (see
separate Notice).
Essentially our FAIIR SALARY PLAN can be incorporated under the
following headings:
Stage 1. Flat pay increase
Stage 2. A material recognition of the past contribution of all Staff
Stage 3. Increase in pensionable pay, incorporating shift pay and flat
pay increase
Stage 4. Income continuance premium to be paid in full by the company

Stage 5. Realistic annual attendance/safety bonus equating to 7% of
salary
The Dublin Bus Branch met yesterday afternoon to discuss the Labour
Court Recommendation and to a man expressed their discust at its
content.
The NBRU is recommending an emphatic rejection of this Labour Court
Recommendation.
We note that fellow Trade Unions are recommending a similar rejection.
We welcome this development and are hopeful that all Unions can
come together and coordinate our response/s as part of the next step in
the fight for significantly improved terms and conditions for all Bus
Workers.
The Labour Court Recommendation will be balloted upon on Thursday
28th July and Friday 29th July, details to be posted locally.
Issued by the NBRU
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 powered by Three
http://nbru.ie/union/index.php/staff-notice/thenbru-is-recommending-emphatic-rejection-of-thelabour-court-pay-proposals-for-dublin-bus/
Final Report from the Independent Assessors on

past productivity/reduction in working week
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/Final-Report-280616.pdf
NBRU release a briefing document to Minister for

Transport Shane Ross
Potential for dispute
http://nbru.ie/union/wpcontent/uploads/2016/06/tmp_doc0246752016061
3113948-35567039.pdf
NBRU letter to Minister for Transport

Shane Ross
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON JUN - 13 - 2016
Mr Shane Ross
Minister for Transport, Tourism & Sport
Transport House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
10th June 2016
Re: NBRU Ministerial Briefing Note
Dear Minister,
I wish, on behalf of the NBRU to extend our congratulations to you on
your recent appointment to the Office of Minister.
I am sure that you are already aware of the fundamental importance the
brief of Minister of Transport carries in relation to the economic wellbeing of the State.
A properly funded public transport system is pivotal in ensuring that
people can move around the State in order to access work and
education centres as the economy grows.
Its importance in relation to the social fabric of the communities which it
serves right across the Country should not be underestimated nor
undervalued.
The NBRU, as you will be aware, represents a significant stakeholder
block in the provision of both public and commercial transport.
We have long been calling for an open and transparent debate on how
transport is funded and how it is regulated, such a debate should
include your Department, the NTA, TII, travelling public and workers
representatives.
Some of the issues which we contend require to be addressed are:
Legislation
Funding Streams/Subvention
Regulation
Issuing of Licences (Commercial)
Market Saturation
Workers Rights
Minister, we have recently witnessed a dispute in the taxpayer funded
public transport space which involved a Company operating a state
contract (Transdev), being party to a fifty five month pay agreement
which, perversely goes beyond the period of the actual contract itself.
This type of scenario would be fine and dandy if the National Transport
Authority and Transport Infrastructure Ireland were party to such an
arrangement.
Not alone were those bodies absent from the negotiations on pay, but
robustly defended against becoming involved in any discussions
between a private Company and its workforce, this despite the
taxpayer being expected to fund future contracts, inclusive of pay and
conditions, those terms being rightly protected under TUPE legislation.
Minister, we note that the briefing notes from your Department Officials,
reference the potential for Industrial Relations problems at the CIE
Group of Companies, not least in the areas associated with pay and
pensions.
There is just cause for this advice, though I suspect the context will not
have included a comprehensive picture of the reasons why our
members could potentially resort to the nuclear option of engaging in
Industrial Action.
Industrial Action is very much a last resort, and is normally only
considered if workers are being unreasonably frustrated in their desire
to have terms and conditions improved, particularly as is the case in the
CIE Group, after eight years without pay improvement and enduring
multiple cuts to terms and conditions.
The NBRU, along with other representative Trade Unions are due in the
Labour Court shortly to put our case for parity with light rail workers,
similar indeed to that which obtains in the vast majority of such mixed
operations across the EU.
We note your congratulatory comments in the aftermath of the
acceptance of the Courts Recommendation in the Transdev dispute.
It is our earnest desire that you will be able to express similar
sentiments post our visit to the Labour Court, hopefully in the absence
of Industrial Action.
We have attached a briefing note of our own for your perusal, it covers
a range of issues associated with Public Transport, some of which are
contained in your Departments notes; we make no apologies for
applying our perspective.
We have also, as a matter of courtesy, in keeping within the spirit of
new politics, forwarded a copy of our briefing note to all political party
transport spokespersons, along with a copy to the AAA/People before
Profit, Greens, etc.
Our briefing note will go into some detail on our pay claim for parity with
light rail workers, but I do wish to alert you to the similarities which we
contend should be fed into the open and transparent debate on public
transport we have been seeking.
Both PSO Bus and Light Rail public transport are taxpayer funded, both
are contracted to provide transport services.
The notion that workers in the same industry/sector would be treated
differently with regard to terms and conditions is not conducive to
progressive Industrial Relations.
The NBRU along with Union colleagues challenged that particular
concept last year when we were party, along with the NTA and your
Department, to an agreement, brokered by the LRC which included
provision for a Sectorial Employment Order (SEO) to cover the Public
Service Obligation (PSO) segment of the Bus Market.
This model should be considered across all state awarded public
transport service contracts allowing for workers to be treated equally,
thereby avoiding the prospect of unscrupulous employers forcing us
down a route which would inevitably lead to a race to the bottom on
workers rights.
Minister, can you imagine the frustration felt by our members when it
was revealed earlier this year that the NTA deducted 2m from the
Dublin Bus PSO contract for 2015, allegedly because they (Dublin Bus)
were making too much money, this at a time when staff were enduring
cuts to their take-home pay?
Contrast this situation with Transdev who were, in 2014 paying a 1.2m
dividend back to its parent Company in France (Transdev is 60% owned
by the French Government), this from a State awarded and taxpayer
funded contract believed to be worth 150m over five years.
Finally, I am conscious that the content of this letter, along with the
attached Briefing note will take some time to digest, we are of course
available for any clarifications you may require.
Yours Sincerely
______________
DERMOT OLEARY
General Secretary
Warning: Southern strike could spread

18 May 2016
TSSA leader Manuel Cortes urges Southern to start listening to their staff
Manuel Cortes, leader of the TSSA rail union, warned the dispute could
spread today to involve ticket office staff facing job losses with the closure or
partial closures of 81 offices.
"Our members are clearly upset and angry that the overwhelming public
support for keeping these offices open has been ignored by Southern. Unless
these proposals are scrapped, we could very soon find ourselves in dispute
on this issue.
"If this is really about improving the service, the company must start listening
to the people who know, passengers and staff, not the bean counters just
concerned with higher profits."
"Southern passengers pay the highest fares and get the least punctual
service. That is what needs fixing if we are talking about improvements."
The union represents 250 ticket office staff. Over 100 jobs are under threat.
https://www.tssa.org.uk/en/whatsnew/news/index.cfm/warning-southern-strike-couldspread
NBRU Press Release on Transdev

Deducting a Days Pay for a Four Hour
Stoppage
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON MAY - 17 - 2016
NBRU PRESS RELEASE

NBRU Press Release on Transdev Deducting a Days Pay for a Four
Hour Stoppage.
it is appalling to think that a transport company funded by taxpayers
money can be allowed to play footloose and fancy free with the rules of
engagement around industrial relations disputes, the contentious issues
here are for the parties to sort, however the NBRU would have a
concern that the approach being pursued by Transdev of deducting
wages, suspending sick pay, and threatening legal action would
become the de facto template for others to follow; the NBRU will not
countenance or tolerate such scenarios in the companies in which we
represent transport workers
Workers are entitled to campaign for improved terms and conditions,
they are entitled to engage in industrial action as a last resort,
abdicating staff relations responsibility at the altar of Thatcherite type
solutions is not conducive to dispute resolution
NBRU Agree to Suspend Ballot for

Industrial Action Following
Confirmation that Iarnrd ireann will
attend at Workplace Relations
Commission this coming Friday.
NBRU PRESS RELEASE

NBRU Agree to Suspend Ballot for Industrial Action Following
Confirmation that Iarnrd ireann will attend at Workplace Relations
Commission this coming Friday.
The NBRU welcomes the fact that Irish Rail have agreed to attend at
the WRC on Friday, we have always held the view that our jointly
agreed negotiating procedures allow for either or both parties to refer
contentious issues to the industrial relations third party state institutions
for conciliation, we, for our part, have demonstrated our commitment to
effecting service improvement by including the potential provision of the
10 Minute Dart Service in our referral to the WRC, it would be prudent
of Irish Rail to reciprocate by embracing an all-encompassing agenda,
inclusive of discussions on reversing pay cuts and a long overdue pay
rise for all rail workers
In suspending our ballot for industrial action we are sending a clear
message to the Company and the new Minister that the modus
operandi of choice in the NBRU is to engage, discuss and negotiate,
whilst engaging in industrial action is a fundamental right, it is very
much a last resort
WRC request NBRU to suspend

ballot to allow for talks.
Precondition is all inclusive

agenda
NBRU salary plan for all bus workers

04th May 2016

NOTICE TO MEMBERS
NBRU F.A.I.I.R. SALARY PLAN
WRC TALKS ON PAY CLAIM
Members are advised that the NBRU along with other representative
Trade Unions attended at the Workplace Relations Commission, (Day
4) for discussions on a flat pay claim as proposed under the Labour
Court Proposal of the 23rd April 2016
We again took the opportunity to advise the WRC that the NBRU pay
claim, originally lodged in April 2014 and quantified in more detail on
February the 4th this year was a claim we intended to pursue through
the different stages as suggested by the Labour Court.
The NBRU, along with Trade Union colleagues, challenged the
Company to address the issue of a long overdue FLAT PAY RISE for all
Dublin Bus staff under Clause 1 of the Labour Court Proposal.
It is unfortunate that the Company, despite all of the Unions deciding to
unite behind one negotiating strategy, could, or perhaps would not table
an offer which the joint Union negotiating teams deemed appropriate to
form a proposal which could potentially issue from the WRC.
It would be disingenuous of us to say that some progress was not
made, there was an offer made by the Company, 8% over four years,
i.e. 2% on acceptance, 2% in 2017, 2% in 2018 and 2% in 2019.
A subsequent offer of 6% over 3 years was made upon acceptance of
any deal, comprising of two tranches of 3% for two 18 month periods.
This was also rejected.
This offer did not take cognisance of the fact that Dublin Bus had
returned to profit in 2014/15, which in-turn meant that the Company
offer completely ignored any aspect of retrospection, i.e. the offer only
applied to the future and not the past.
This aspect coupled with our concerns that the length of time which
would have to elapse (4 Stages) before the final payment, brought this
module of the discussions to an end.
We are now obliged, under the proposal from the Labour Court to revert
back to the Court to seek a recommendation on a Flat Pay Rise.
Members should note that any Recommendation which would emanate
from the Labour Court will be balloted on by all staff.
Furthermore, members are advised that the NBRU has reconfigured our
claim, as notified to Dublin Bus on February 4th into THE NBRU
F.A.I.I.R. SALARY PLAN (hopefully in conjunction with Trade Union
Colleagues), in order to significantly improve the Terms and Conditions
of Bus Workers over the short to medium term.
NBRU F.A.I.I.R. SALARY PLAN
Flat pay increase
A material recognition of the past contribution of all Staff
Increase in pensionable pay, incorporating shift pay and flat pay

increase
Income continuance premium to be paid in full by the company
Realistic annual attendance/safety bonus equating to 7% of salary
Members will be informed as to the date for the Labour Court hearing.
Issued by the NBRU
54 Parnell Square
Dublin 1
NBRU notice to members on a salary restoration

and recovery plan for all bus workers
Irish Rail resort to Defamatory attack on Union, the

Hag may be dead, but Thatcherite disciples walk
among us
NBRU accuse Irish Rail Management of

Industrial Relations Failure ahead of
Ballot for Industrial Action.

POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON APR - 26 - 2016
NBRU accuse Irish Rail Management of Industrial Relations Failure

ahead of Ballot for Industrial Action.
General Secretary Dermot OLeary said :
Irish Rail stand accused of ignoring the Industrial Relations institutions
of the state; the NBRU referred a number of issues to the WRC on the
29th March, that referral included the ongoing pay cuts, a long overdue
pay claim for rail workers and the 10 Minute Dart Service; the Company
response has been shameful in demonising its own staff and
threatening them with High Court Proceedings, rather than addressing
the issues through normal industrial relations processes
Mr OLeary went on to say :
We will now immediately ballot all our members across Irish Rail to
seek a mandate for Industrial Action in response to the refusal of a
taxpayer owned Semi-State company to attend at the Workplace
Relations Commission to discuss issues of concern to its own staff, it is
simply appalling that this abject failure to cooperate with industrial
relations norms may potentially lead to the travelling public and workers
being subjected to industrial unrest, all because someone in authority at
Irish Rail appears to have an apathetic view of both industrial relations
and the state institutions tasked with assisting in resolving disputes
Letter from Irish Rail threatening High Court action

against the NBRU and its members
http://nbru.ie/union/?p=1662
Our petition worked! Rules banning Dublin Bus

drivers from listening to the radio have been
dropped
Drivers really want their radios! Let them have

them! Sign our petition here:
Allow our bus

drivers to listen to
their radios while

driving.
Victory
This petition made change with 3,148
New laws will now prevent Dublin Bus

drivers from listening to the radio. The
new zero-tolerance measures mean that
drivers can be severely disciplined for
using electronic devices, including
transistor radios, while driving the buses.
In a letter to Dublin Bus, the National
Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has stated
that it "totally and utterly" refuses to
accept transistor radios being placed on
a banned list.
This petition was delivered to Dublin Bus
Victory!
Radio Nova
8 MAR 2016 DUBLIN BUS has rowed back

on its zero-tolerance policy that would have
prevented drivers from using transistor radios.
Dublin Bus confirmed that it had met with
unions and confirmed that while the zerotolerance policy against electronic devices
would remain in place, it would not apply to
transistor radios.
Dublin Bus drivers say; hands off our radios. This is

a flawed draconian policy...
In a notice to its members, the NBRU stated

that during its discussion with the company it
had also been concluded that there was no
issue with drivers using electronic devices at
bus terminuses and that emergency calls can
be taken after a driver pulls over and turns the
buss engine off.
https://www.change.org/p/dublin-bus-allow-our-bus-drivers-tolisten-to-their-radios-while-driving-c2362e73-27e1-413d-80c45078f1b4c244?
recruiter=496996835&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium
=twitter&utm_campaign=share_twitter_responsive
Leave the bus

drivers radios
alone
New policy will see zero-tolerance

shown to Dublin Bus drivers listening to
the radio The ban will come into effect

on Monday. http://jrnl.ie/2624900 drivers
will be dismissed
This petition was delivered to:
Dublin Bus
Letter to the Dublin Bus HR manager in

relation to transistor radios
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON FEB - 25 - 2016
Mr Phil Donohue
Human Resources and Development Manager
Dublin Bus
59 Upper OConnell Street
Dublin 1
10th February 2016
RE: Dublin Bus policy on use of mobile phone or portable electronic
devices whilst driving
Dear Sir,
Please be advised that in relation to correspondence received from your
offices on February 8th pertaining to the above policy which Dublin Bus
are attempting to implement unilaterally without agreement, the Dublin
Branch of the NBRU has taken the following position:
While the NBRU cannot argue against national legislation around the
use of mobile phones and driving, we totally and utterly refuse to accept
the inclusion of transistor radios in the list.
Failure to withdraw the above item from the list will result in this union
advising all members not the use the two way radio system except in
dire emergency situations where personal safety is at risk.
As a consequence of the aforementioned we must advise our members
to regulate themselves.
In situations where running boards ask a driver to call control, any
instruction must come from a depot inspector prior to departure from a
home depot.
Any escalation of action towards our members as a result of the above
will be dealt with in the appropriate manner.
We will also be referring the matter to the WRC and request that you
defer from implementing the offending policy to forestall the actions
detailed above.
We also have grave concerns about your use of predetermined
sentencing, outside observations and errors of judgement, smart
watches and the non-consultation with Trade Unions on the
implementation of draconian policies which will have a devastating
impact upon our members.

We trust this clarifies the position of the National Bus and Rail Union.
Yours Sincerely,
_________________
Brian Young
Branch Secretary
http://nbru.ie/union/index.php/staff-notice/letter-to-the-dublinbus-hr-manager-in-relation-to-transistor-radios/
https://www.change.org/p/dublin-bus-leave-the-bus-driversradios-alone?
recruiter=496836896&utm_source=share_petition&utm_medium
=email&utm_campaign=share_email_responsive
New policy will see zerotolerance shown to Dublin

Bus drivers listening to the
radio
The ban will come into effect on Monday.
Feb 25th 2016
NEW RULES SET to come into force from Monday will

prevent Dublin Bus drivers from listening to the radio.
The new zero-tolerance measures mean that drivers can
severely disciplined for using electronic devices including
transistor radios while driving the buses.
The move has been met with opposition from drivers.
In a letter to Dublin Bus, the National Bus and Rail Union
(NBRU) has stated that it totally and utterly refuses to
accept transistor radios being placed on a banned list.
The union has said that it will respond to the

implementation of the new rules by advising its members
not to use the two-way radio system installed on the buses
except in dire emergency situations.
It has also said that it will be referring the matter to the
Workplace Relations Commission with a request that Dublin
Bus defer from implementing the radio ban.
In a letter to the commission dated yesterday the union said
that its members are extremely angry about the changes.
Currently there are no laws preventing private citizens from
listening to the radio while driving.
Responding to TheJournal.ie this evening, Dublin Bus said:
Further to your query, Dublin Bus has a longstanding policy
prohibiting the use of mobile phones and electronic devices
while driving. This is part of driver safety training. We are
now implementing a zero-tolerance policy to reinforce this
message to employees.
http://www.thejournal.ie/dublin-bus-radio-drivers-protest2624900-Feb2016/?utm_source=shortlink
NBRU press release on pay parity with

LUAS drivers and pay claim at Dublin
Bus/Bus Eireann
NBRU Press Release

NBRU lodge claim for Parity with Luas Drivers along with Pay Claim for
Dublin Bus and Bus ireann Drivers.
Having taken the pain of cuts throughout the austerity years it is now
long since past time that Bus Drivers were given due recognition in
terms of pay, our members are becoming increasingly angry that their
pay and conditions have fallen behind those of their Luas counterparts,
what is particularly galling for Bus drivers is the fact that both modes of
transport are funded by the public purse, however when it comes to
having to take cuts to pay, to effectively plug the gap created by
Government stripping out the necessary funding required to support
Transport provision it seems those in the CIE Companies are the only
group of workers in the Publicly funded transport space who have had
to cough up
Eight years without a pay rise is something Bus Workers are no longer
prepared to tolerate, the Dublin Bus leg of our members claim will
shortly be before the Labour Court, we will be submitting the necessity

for our members contribution in the bad times to be materially
recognised now that the boost in the economy is reflected in the
Companys bottom line
Newspaper articles from Saturday 16th January

relating to NBRU ballot of DART drivers
Unions response in relation to a

proposed 10 minute DART service
Mr Ciaran Masterson
Director, Human Resources
Iarnrod Eireann
Connolly Station
Dublin 1 4th January 2016
Re: 10 Minute Dart Service
Dear Sir
We refer to the above and your correspondence to both Trade Unions in
response to our letter to Mr John Revile regarding our members
rejection of rosters circulated from his office on Monday 21st December.
In the first instance we should point out that there are a number of
intertwined issues in this whole debate:
Labour Court Recommendation interpretation
The requirement for a 10 Minute Dart Service
Proposed Rosters for 10 Minute Dart Service
Productivity
Extra Resources
It would appear that your response to our letter centres exclusively on
the Labour Court Recommendation, a position which, if, assuming we
are correct misses the point with regard to the concerns of our members
in relation to the rosters which recently issued.
It should be understood that both Trade Unions are not opposed to a 10
Minute Dart Service, in fact we would be more than supportive in
relation to any initiative which would contribute to enhancing our public
transport services.
However, in order to facilitate the increase in services it is incumbent on
all parties to discuss all of the issues which may impact the provision of
the 10 Minute Dart Timetable, not least those issues which directly
affect Drivers, after all it is they who are in the frontline, it is they who
may be asked to drive more.
The interpretation of the Labour Court Recommendation from our
perspective is not one which will have any material effect on the
respective obligations of either party in relation to the 10 Minute Dart
Service, in fact we would contend it is very much a moot point when it
comes to normal engagement around change, please refer to our
correspondence to Mr Reville in which we make reference to our agreed
negotiating structures around proposed change.
However, for the record, we would view the Labour Court
Recommendation as one which placed the issue of productivity in a
formal process, under the auspices of the WRC, supported by an
agreed independent assessor to measure past productivity issues which
were tabled by both Trade Unions in our Document Loco Drivers Past
Productivity/Contribution 30th July 2015.
The issue of future productivity has not been materially affected by
anything contained in the Labour Court Recommendation; the principle
of working more/taking on more responsibility is one which traditionally
involves both sides engaging with a view to establishing if agreement

can be reached.
It should also be noted that it was the Company side, at the Workplace
Relations Commission on the 13th October which advanced the notion
that extra Drivers would be required to facilitate the 10 Minute Dart
Service.
Both Trade Unions recently facilitated joint meetings, on request from
Dart Drivers, to discuss the issue of the 10 Minute Dart Service, they
gave us a clear message at those meetings that they were not prepared
to discuss the rosters which, at that juncture were being formalised.
The notion that Senior Trade Union Officials had ordered local Dart
Driver representatives not to even look at the new rosters in an attempt
to, as it were shoot the messenger, is frankly laughable when one
considers that those same rosters were known to all Dart Drivers in
advance of issue, there being more leaks at Iarnrod Eireann then there
are in Wales on St Davids Day.
We are now to advise that, in line with our original correspondence to
Mr Reville that we are invoking the clause in our jointly agreed
Framework for Negotiating and Dispute Resolution that provides for
direct engagement at Central Level on issues which may be classed as
Urgent Disputes.
We in the representative Trade Unions remain committed to coursing
issues through our jointly agreed processes; those processes include
the aforementioned Framework for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution
and the assistance of a third party if it is deemed to be necessary.
Our commitment to our members with regard to the 10 Minute Service
is that we would return to them by way of consultation in the event that
the position of either party (Company/Trade Unions) would significantly
change, sadly it appears that it is the Company who are intent on
setting a course towards conflict on this matter.
It behoves all of us, on behalf of staff and commuters alike to avoid
what we would consider to be unnecessary conflict.
Yours Sincerely Yours Sincerely
______________ ______________
DERMOT OLEARY Paul Cullen
General Secretary Asst. Organiser
Copy/Ms Anna Perry Acting Director of Conciliation Workplace
Relations Commission
Mr John Reville Passenger Services Manager North & East Iarnrd
ireann
Bus ireann staff to ballot

for strike over Expressway
fears
NBRU is concerned new plan for company will be
announced after general election
Fri, Dec 18, 2015, 13:07 Updated: Fri, Dec 18, 2015, 13:12
Martin Wall
Staff at Bus ireann are to ballot on industrial action due to concerns over the
future of the Expressway service. Photograph: Dara Mac Dnaill/The Irish
Times
Staff at Bus ireann who are members of the National

Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) are to ballot for industrial
action amid fears over a forthcoming strategic plan for
the Expressway inter-regional coach service being drawn
up by the company.
The chairman of the State-owned transport company
Aidan Murphy told the union in a letter in recent days it
was continuing to examine ways in which to reduce its
costs so as to deliver the profitability necessary to
secure a viable future for Expressway.
This will include marketing, fleet investment,
innovation in routing and serving together with creating

an efficient and cost effective cost model.
The matter was discussed at the recent Bus ireann
board meeting and the management team have been
tasked to bring a comprehensive strategic plan for
Expressway to the board as quickly as possible and to
keep the board approased of progress.
NBRU general secretary Dermot OLeary said the union
was concerns the new plan would be detrimental to
members in the company. The union believes the plan
will be announced after the general election.
The union represents about 1,200 staff in the company,
mainly drivers.
The ballot for industrial action up to and including
strikes is expected to get under way as early as next
week.
In effect it will be a contingency ballot with any
mandate for industrial action being held in reserve
pending the publication of the companys strategic plan
for the Expressway service .
In his letter to the union Mr Murphy said the
commercial operating landscape for Expressway had
changed as additional operator licences continued to be
issued .
The result is that the ability of Bus ireann to grow
revenue has become significantly more challenging on its
commercial Expressway routes.
Despite a very significant investment in both marketing
and new fleet, we have encountered tremendous
competitiveness pressures which we must continue to
combat.
Competition in the inter-city market has increased, with
many more operators on the roads, which poses a
considerable difficulty for the Expressway business.
Mr Murphy said that the Expressway service broke even
in 2014 but that despite savings achieved in some areas
loses were anticipated this year.
He said the strike at the company last May over potential

privatisation of routes had had a serious impact on its
profitability, from which the company had not yet
recovered.
In a replying letter this week Mr OLeary said: Our
members are not prepared to stand idly by and watch the
dismantling of this network. They are not going to allow
a scenario to develop whereby an announcement
suddenly drops from the sky, most likely post election,
that will have us all scurrying around engaging in a rearguard fire fighting exercise.
The uncertainty created by this company inflicted
vacuum has now left the NBRU with no option but to
consult with our members and seek a mandate for
industrial action up to and including strike in the event
that Bus ireann will move to change the current
Expressway model without prior consultation an the
ultimate agreement of its staff.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/bus-ireannstaff-to-ballot-for-strike-over-expressway-fears1.2471136#.VnUpqR9xZ9o.twitter
Train drivers have voted by a significant margin to
accept Labour Court proposals aimed at resolving a row

over past productivity at Ianrd ireann.
However thee National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has
warned that any move by the company to press ahead
unilaterally with plans for a more frequent 10-minute
Dart service in the New Year could lead to further
industrial relations difficulties.
Drivers who are members of the NBRU and Siptu staged
a 3-hour work stoppage in October as part of their
campaign for payment for past productivity measures as
well as a shorter working week.
The Labour Court recommended a a new process of talks
between management and unions at Ianrd ireann on
productivity.
It also proposed the establishment of a benchmarking
exercise to compare the totality of terms and conditions
applicable to train drivers in Northern Ireland and
Britain with those working in Ianrd ireann.
Labour Court chairman Kevin Duffy proposed a process
of negotiation on productivity, taking into account all
changes and efficiencies generating verifiable and
auditable savings which continued to accrue to the
company, but for which compensation had not
previously been provided.
However, he urged that measures that were taken into
account in earlier collective agreements should be
disregarded.
Mr Duffy also proposed the establishment of a
management-union working party facilitated by an
agreed independent expert in the field of productivity
measurement .
He said the benchmarking exercise comparing terms and
conditions should be carried out without prejudice to the
position of either party on what should follow from the
results of that exercise.
NBRU general secretary Dermot OLeary said train
drivers who were members of his union had voted to
accept the Labour Court recommendation by 76 percent

to 24 per cent.
He said that having accepted the recommendation the
focus of his members would be to establish the value of
past productivity, using the mechanism suggested by the
Labour Court.
We would also remind the company that all future
productivity, inclusive of planned service enhancement
will require consultation and discussion with the existing
cohort of train drivers prior to implementation. Such
discussions coupled with the benchmarking of train
drivers hours in Northern Ireland and the UK will form
the basis for improvements to the terms and conditions
of train drivers.
SIPTU train drivers have accepted a Labour Court
recommendation to enter discussions by 7 per cent.
There is still considerable anger about the previous
reluctance of Irish Rail to engage in meaningful talks but
union members are clearly willing to make another
attempt to reach an agreement on the outstanding
productivity issues. SIPTU assistant organiser, Paul
Cullen said.
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/ireland/irish-news/train-driversback-deal-to-resolve-row-over-past-productivity-1.2465984
NBRU General Secretary Dermot

OLeary writes to CIE Chairman and all
Chief Executives and Human Resource
Managers in the CIE Group in regard to
attack on both pension schemes

POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON NOV - 13 - 2015
Mr Ciaran Masterson
Mr Phil Donohue
Mr Joe Kenny
Ms Vivienne Jupp
Mr Declan Carlyle
Mr David Franks
Mr Ray Coyne
Mr Martin Nolan
11th November 2015
Re: CIE Group Pension Schemes
Dear Sir,
I refer to the above and recent correspondence exchanged between my
office and that of the CIE Group Human Resource Manager in relation
to Pension Issues.
The NBRU is quite alarmed by both the content of Mr Carlyles
response and the commentary surrounding the issue of Pensions.
I am particularly concerned that a briefing attended by all Trade Unions
in May of this year is now apparently being reclassified as an actual
meeting on Pension Issues.
Nothing could be further from the truth, the fact is that having been
briefed on the day, we took the opportunity to remind Mr Carlyle that a
situation whereby future pay rises would not be reckonable for Pension
was completely untenable.
The Trade Union representatives who attended at this briefing were of
the view, that, having as it were, marked the Groups card in relation to
the necessity to engage formally on any proposals it wished to advance
in relation to Pension Issues, that a subsequent meeting would be
convened, if indeed there was a requirement to so do.
Leaving rumour mill aside, no other direct contact was made with the
NBRU in the intervening months with regard to attending at any meeting
to discuss the issue of Pensions.
Finally on Monday of this week we were invited to attend at a meeting
with the CIE Group on the 16th November in relation to Pension issues.
We have had representations from staff across the CIE Group over
recent weeks in relation to the closure of the Group Pension Schemes
for new entrants; again our response to this was in keeping with all
other quires in relation to Pension/s, no one has contacted this Trade
Union in relation to any changes to either scheme.
The purpose of this correspondence is to advise you that any attempt to
vary or alter the conditions of service of our members in relation to their

Pension entitlements without their agreement will be met with
resistance, including Industrial Action and/or Strike.
There is a train of thought that someone, somewhere, has made a
strategic decision to side-line or ignore the Trade Unions on the issue of
Pensions. To do so would amount to a serious misjudgement which, if
true, could have catastrophic consequences for all three constituent
Companies and the services they provide.
If there is one thing that would galvanise all grades of staff into one
united opposition grouping, it would be an attack on their Pensions.
Yours Sincerely
___________________
DERMOT OLEARY
GENERAL SECRETARY
NBRU members furious with Irish Rail

NBRU Members furious with Company.

Writing directly to staff in this fashion, designed as it is, to undermine
the Trade Unions, who are after all directly representing their members
is counter productive and will not get us one jot closer to a resolution
of this dispute, our members are furious at this intervention and see it
as an insult to a workforce that have fully cooperated in improving the
Rail Network in this Country over the last decade, the only reasonable
way of getting a resolution here is for all stakeholders to fully engage on
all of the issues, attempting to disenfranchise workers representatives is
bringing a distasteful element to this dispute
we wrote to the Minister this morning to express our concern that the
line being adopted by his Department was such that it appeared to us to
be one-sided and was not a true version of the events that had unfolded
at the Workplace Relations Commission over the nine days prior to last
Friday weeks dispute, we remain wedded to the view that there is a
reluctance on the Company side to fully engage on all of the issues at
the heart of this dispute, trying to side-line the Trade Unions in writing
directly to train drivers is, to us, systematic of what we have been
experiencing at the Company over recent times
November 1st Letter to Transport

Minister Pashcal Donohue on the
breakdown of talks at the WRC
Mr Paschal Donohue
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
Transport House
Kildare Street
Dublin 2
1st November 2015
Re: Dispute at Iarnrod ireann

Dear Minister,
I refer to the above and my concern with the line being adopted by your
Department in relation to this particular dispute.
For the record, this dispute has its origin in a long standing agenda,
jointly agreed it should be noted, going right back to 2006.
I am particularly concerned that our members are effectively being held
to ridicule because of an inability to find industrial relation remedies to
issues, which are, relatively speaking, soluble within the industrial
relations arena.
What is of fundamental importance to our members here, is the simple,
but understated fact that what is being requested is, for the most part,
self-financing.
To listen to some of the invective being fired in the direction of Train
Drivers you would think that the financial bar was being raised so high
as to make a solution unattainable, this is, simply put, not the case at
all.
My intention in writing to you, is not, as some commentators are
suggesting, for you to intervene, quite the contrary in fact, my sole
purpose in this regard is to make you aware that the issues at the heart
of this dispute are being misinterpreted and we are to assume, being
subsequently briefed to you as being factual.
One such issue is this notion that the cost of one item on our long
standing agenda, that of a reduction of the working week, is
financially prohibitive, again, this is simply not the case.
Minister, I am sure that you would not want me to negotiate through
correspondence, I have no desire to engage in such a scenario either,
but my concern in relation to my members reputation, the Companys
standing in the public eye, the taxpayer, who after all have a financial
stake here, is such that I feel I am left with no option but to appeal to
you directly.
It is a strongly held belief on the Trade Union side that all of the issues
here can be coursed through the normal industrial relations machinery,
the obvious starting point being one you yourself have consistently
referenced, i.e. the Workplace Relations Commission.
The foregoing paragraph should not be misconstrued, advanced as it is,
in the full knowledge that it does not obviate any group of workers, in
this case Train Drivers from rejecting or protesting against any proposal
which would ultimately emanate through such procedures, that is after
all, anentitlement which applies to both sides.
The problem to-date, for the Trade Union side at least, has been the
failure, or perhaps unwillingness to actually look at the issues as
hurdles or barriers that need to be climbed rather than refuse to even
contemplate how they could in fact be overcome.
After all, Industrial Relations, as practiced in this jurisdiction is usually
where one finds mechanisms to deal with even the most principled of
issues.
It is unfortunate that the nine days we spent at the WRC in the run-up to
last Friday weeks dispute, achieved nothing in terms of moving us
closer to a resolution, what it did illustrate to us though is that
restrictions, or red lineissues being placed in the way of a solution is
fast becoming the reality in Iarnrod ireann.
For the Trade Union side there is, we would strongly contend,
room formanoeuvre in practically all of the agenda items, again I do not
deem it either necessary or tactically prudent to reveal our exact
thoughts on such matters through correspondence.
Minister, refusing to contemplate alternatives, refusing to allow for the
possibility of incrementally working towards some solutions to some of
the issues, refusing to allow for challenges to be made to decisions
made by the CIE Group which, in themselves, have a fundamental
bearing on reaching a solution is not, I would respectfully suggest
susceptible to resolving this dispute.
Finally, I do hope that this correspondence will help to shine a light onto
Train Drivers thought process, certainly it should negate some of the
negative commentary derived, as it is, from one version of events, the
obligation to provide a service is one which our members take pride in
delivering, unfortunately refusing to acknowledge their vital contributions
and maintaining a stonewall approach to industrial relations has to-date
only served to damage the reputation of all stakeholders.
Yours Sincerely
_____________________
DERMOT OLEARY
General Secretary National Bus & Rail Union
Commuters urged to
switch to Leap card as
fare hikes revealed
Paul Melia Twitter
EMAIL
PUBLISHED
31/10/2015
1
Public transport fares are to increase from December 1st
Fares will rise on some public transport

services from December 1 with
schoolchildren to be hit with an extra 5 cent
charge if paying by cash.
7
The National Transport Authority (NTA) has approved

increases in some fares in an effort to encourage more
people to switch to the Leap card, which is 20pc cheaper.
The increases will affect fares across Dublin Bus, Iarnrd
ireann, Bus ireann and Luas services.
Despite passenger growth in 2014, the authority said fare
hikes were needed to complete the "restructuring and
simplification" of the fare structure, to encourage a switch
to the Leap card and to contribute to the cost of providing
services.
For some services, only "modest" increases had been
approved, it said, adding that it would roll out a new
family ticket next year which would help reduce the cost of
public transport.
Among the biggest changes is for Luas passengers who
used a three-zone monthly and annual ticket, which are
being discontinued. An annual ticket currently costs 850
- this will rise to 910 for an 'all-zone' ticket. In addition,
off-peak travel using cash and Leap cards will increase,
along with a one, seven or 30-day travel ticket which is up
by 4pc.
The NTA said fares were set with the aim of maintaining
passenger numbers while ensuring financial stability for
the operators.
"The authority inherited a highly complex, and in many
cases illogical, fares structure when we took on the
regulation of public transport services at the end of 2009,"
chief executive Anne Graham said.
"We want to further incentivise people to choose Leap card
to pay for their travel by maintaining a substantial price
differential between Leap and cash fares.
"Leap is used to pay for 1.5 million journeys every week,
representing about 2.5m in electronic transactions,
which are cheaper for the operators to manage and means
the passenger benefits from shorter wait times at each stop
as well as paying less for their trip - Leap will always be at
least 20pc cheaper than cash for a single journey".
Cash
On Bus ireann regional city services, cash single fares

will go up by 5.3pc - or 5c -for adults and schoolchildren.
Most Leap card fares in the regional cities will fall. There
are increases between 10c and 2.50 for one and sevenday tickets. For monthly tickets, increases range from
1.50 to 2.60, and between 23.50 and 36.50 for
annual tickets.
Overall, Bus ireann individual fares will increase by no
more than 5pc.
For Dublin Bus, a schoolchild cash fare is up 5c, and Leap
is up 2c. Multi-operator monthly and annual tickets will
increase between 2.6pc and 2.9pc.
Some fares have also been merged. The 4-7 stage and 8-13
stage bands for cash fares have been merged into one 4-13
band. The fare is now 2.70 - this is an increase of 15c for
the 4-7 stage, and a reduction of 10c for the previous 8-13
stage.
For Irish Rail, short hop zone fares increase between 1.4pc
to 4.2pc, and by a maximum of 3pc on monthly and
annual fares.
Some three-day and weekly commuter tickets including
the weekly inner rail have been discontinued. Using a Leap
card will prove cheaper than the existing rate.
In the regional cities, Leap fares will not increase and fares
will be 24pc cheaper than paying in cash. Some changes in
Cork are conditional on the roll-out of the Leap card, and
cannot be applied on December 1.
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/news/commuters-urged-toswitch-to-leap-card-as-fare-hikes-revealed-34156989.html
Pay offer for Iarnrd

ireann is
reasonable, says
Transport minister
Updated / Friday, 30 Oct 2015
Paschal Donohoe will not intervene in the matter
The Minister for Transport has said he believes the

offer tabled by management at Iarnrd ireann in a
bid to resolve a dispute over pay is a reasonable and
comprehensive proposal.
Speaking on RTs Morning Ireland, Paschal
Donohoe said he will not be intervening in the matter,
adding that he will not be spending taxpayers money
that the Government does not have.
"Irish Rail, like any other organisation will look to pay
wage increases or wage changes to its employees on
the basis of changes that are made in work practice,"
he said.
"They've already indicated that on the basis of
productivity changes that they believe can be
delivered, that there's the prospect of between a 6 or
7% wage increase available to train drivers across a
three-year period. I think by any measure that is a
very reasonable and comprehensive proposal."
The train drivers' unions - SIPTU and the NBRU have accused the company of failing to properly
address their claims for pay increases for past
productivity.
This led to strike action last Friday as trains
scheduled to depart between 6am and 9am were
cancelled after conciliation talks at the Workplace
Relations Commission broke down resulting in
widespread travel delays.
It is estimated that 40,000 passengers were disrupted
and similar industrial action is due to take place on
Friday 6 November.
Unions representing train drivers at Iarnrd ireann
have said they accept that drivers will have to drive
more, and some jobs could be lost, if they are to
achieve a shorter working week and better
pensionable pay.
Iarnrd ireann has consistently argued that the
drivers' demand for a shorter working week would
increase the overall drivers' pay bill and require the

recruitment of up to 45 additional drivers.
They have also claimed any such moves would have
to be covered by realisable cost savings and
efficiencies.
http://www.rte.ie/news/ireland/2015/1030/738436-irish-rail/
RTE reports rail passengers could face

disruption to services
Rail passengers could face

disruption to services
Talks on the issue at the LRC collapsed last week

Rail passengers could face disruption to services later this autumn as
train drivers at Iarnrd ireann are to commence a ballot seeking a
mandate for industrial action in a row over pay.
The ballot will commence on 21 September.
If workers vote for industrial action there could be stoppages on DART,
commuter and national rail services.
National Bus and Rail Union General Secretary Dermot OLeary
described last weeks breakdown of talks at the Labour Relations
Commission as a debacle.
He accused the company of shutting down debate saying all Irish Rail
workers wanted was to be in a position to discuss and negotiate
changes made to their grade over the past number of years.
He accused the company of trying to apply Thatcherite solutions to
industrial relations issues, adding that the unfortunate reality was that
both staff and customers would suffer as a result of what he described
as autocratic decision-making.
SIPTU and the NBRU have said Iarnrod ireann has refused to engage
properly with them on payment for productivity concessions already
delivered by staff, despite a commitment to do so in an agreement

reached a year ago.
Under the deal agreed last September, staff took a 1.7% pay cut to last
25 months.
However, unions say the agreement provided for staff to engage with
management on additional productivity conceded by train drivers in the
past few years, as well as future productivity.
Iarnrod ireann acknowledged that it had committed to discussions on
past productivity, but stressed that the company is still in a precarious
financial position, and is losing over 1m per month.
Newspapers report that the

prospect of train strikes have
increased due to the collapse
of LRC rail talks tonight.
Irish Independent reports that

train strikes are looming this
Autumn
Irish Independent reports that train

strikes are looming
Niall OConnor17/08/2015 | 02:30
Commuters face the prospect of widespread

travel chaos as train drivers consider
launching a second wave of strike action at
Irish Rail, the Irish Independent has learned.
Trade union figures have warned the semi-state company that an
ongoing dispute over pay and conditions may result in a series of work
stoppages in the autumn, affecting both Dart and other train services.
A deep sense of malaise among train drivers in response to pay cuts,
as well as demands for increased productivity, are among the factors
underpinning the latest dispute.
Also, a significant increase in violent and drunken incidents on board
trains and in stations has contributed to a fall in morale among staff.
The prospect of industrial action by workers was communicated to Irish
Rail chief executive David Franks last week by the National Bus and
Rail Union (NBRU).
NBRU general secretary Dermot OLeary said the frustrations among
train drivers had reached fever pitch.
The fact that train drivers are annoyed and angry should not come as a
surprise to the company, we have been communicating this message
for some time now, Mr OLeary told the Irish Independent.
He said: The fact is that the train-driving role has become more
onerous and more responsible over the last decade. I met recently with
the CEO of Irish Rail to tell him that to ignore drivers issues would be
doing a disservice to both the travelling public and staff alike.
There is a huge level of frustration building up. Drivers feel they have
fallen considerably behind from a pay perspective against other
grades, Mr Cullen added.
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe did not wish to comment on the
prospect of further strike action.
Ubions' draft document on past productivity for

Loco drivers. The NBRU to engage with members
http://nbru.ie/union/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/tmp_Loco-
Drivers-Draft-Document-on-Past-Productivity-July-2015491480308.pdf
Article in latest edition of Industrial Relations News

about NBRU resistance at Irish Rail
The National Bus and Rail Union has reiterated that

political leadership is needed in order to resolve the
ongoing dispute at Bus ireann and Dublin Bus.
NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary has called
on the Taoiseach and Tnaiste to intervene in the
row.
It comes as a second day of strike action at the bus
companies draws to a close at midnight.
Dublin Bus and Bus ireann say they remain
available to re-enter negotiations.
Bus ireann and Dublin Bus services were disrupted

for a second day, in a dispute over plans to put some
routes out to private tender.
The two-day strike by members of SIPTU and the
National Bus and Railworkers' Union ends at
midnight Saturday.
Te unions are planning five more strikes later this
month.
Follow
Dublin Bus
Industrial action is taking place today Saturday 2nd May,
no bus services will operate. For full details see
http://
bit.ly/1HNQ82u
5:30 AM - 2 May 2015
4 4 Retweets3 3 likes
Hundreds of thousands of passengers travel plans

were disrupted this bank holiday weekend.
Dublin Bus estimates the two strike days cost around
1.2m in lost revenue, which does not include a fine
from the National Transport Authority of 300,000.
Bus ireann says the strike will cost the company
1.5m in revenue and affect an estimated 250,000
passenger journeys.
Last night, the NBRU dismissed the threat of legal
action by Bus ireann and Dublin Bus to recover the
costs of the bus strike as "clearly unnecessary and
vexatious".
Retailers around the country have reported falls in
sales today.
This is due to a combination of bad weather and
strike action by drivers at Bus ireann and Dublin
Bus.
Retail Excellence Ireland says footfall was down by
more than 30% in urban areas.

Individual retailers have reported that sales had fallen
by over 50%.
Cork Chamber of Commerce CEO Conor Healy has
said the combination of appalling weather and the
bus strike had a huge impact on trade in the city.
He said business should be good on a bank holiday
Saturday, however one retailer described foot fall this
morning as "like a bad Monday morning".
Speaking on RT Radio's Marian Finucane
programme, a caf owner in Salthill in Co Galway
also said business is very quiet there.
Geraldine Lohan said businesses in the area depend
on buses to bring older people out to Salthill from
Galway city and other areas.
Speaking on the same programme, another
contributor who runs a Spar shop on O'Connell Street
in Dublin said business was "as bad as St Stephen's
Day".
Ongoing industrial disputes at Dublin Bus and

Bus ireann have led to an all out strike and a
halt to services. Another in a long line of
industrial disputes over working conditions.
1979 was one of the worst years for industrial
disputes in Ireland. A postal strike lasted over
four months and a national bus strike resulted
in the army being called in to help commuters.
Picket at Donnybrook Bus Garage, Dublin (1979)
The National Busmens

Unions say their pay packs
often dont contain a living
wage.
The strike had been planned since just after

Christmas 1978. In this report from current
affairs programme Frontline, regional union
representatives are pictured gathering to
discuss a potential solution. Unions,
management, court officials and members of
the National Busmens Union met at Davitt
House, which houses the Department of

Labour and the Labour Court. The last minute
negotiations failed to find a resolution and the
strike went ahead.
During the 1979 bus strike the army were
brought in to provide transport for commuters
and many found themselves travelling to work
in the back of army lorries. The service was
provided free-of-charge by the army and
continued for the duration of the bus workers
dispute.
The commentary on this report is provided by
Michael Ryan.
Frontline: Diary of a Strike was broadcast on
15 January 1979.
Dublin Sinn Fin 1 May 2015

More
Transport Minister must scrap plans to privatise

public bus routes
Sinn Fin Councillor Chris

Andrews in Ringsend with
NBRU workers protesting
against company facilitated
privatization
NBRU members on picket duty

outside Bray Depot protesting
against company facilitated,
Government led privatisation
National Bus & Rail Union

members on picket duty
outside Ringsend bus depot
engaging in a "legal industrial
dispute"
Unite Trade Union fully

supports the NBRU's day of
protest on May 1st over bus
privatization
National Bus & Rail Union questions

and answers regarding their High Court
challenge to bus privatisation
PRIVATISATION of Bus Routes

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Members are advised that we have been fielding a number of queries
regarding the above issue over the last number of weeks. We have
decided to encapsulate those queries into a question and answer
format, the following are indicative of the questions we have been
asked, it is not however intended to be an exhausted list:
1. What was discussed at the LRC?
There is a clear distinction between discussions and negotiations, the
NTA made it abundantly clear from the outset that they were not at the
LRC to negotiate.
Consequently we adopted a position of not negotiating on facilitating a
privatisation policy.
Notwithstanding this we highlighted a number of areas where we felt
that what was being attempted here was not even practical never mind
legally sound, (more of which anon).
Among those issues were:

Pension
The impracticality of expecting a worker to transfer to a private firm
without continued pension entitlements. From the outset of the
discussions we advanced a position whereby we would not agree for
any Dublin Bus/Bus ireann staff to transfer under TUPE.
Terms & Conditions
The NBRU view on this particular issue was one which would involves
Social Clauses, similar to Germany, where the collective agreements in
Bus Transport (Dublin Bus/Bus ireann) would be the established norm
across all providers, i.e. that all Bus Workers would be treated
equally/level playing pitch. Incidentally we have no fundamental issue
here with the proposal being advanced by others to have a Registered
Employment Agreement (REA) for the industry, we understand that
legislation may be pending to re-establish the legal standing of REAs,
having been previously been deemed not to have statutory effect by the
Supreme Court.
However it is important to continue to bear in mind our fundamental and
outright objection to any member of staff transferring from Bus ireann
or Dublin Bus.
Engagement on route selection/Phasing of Industry Growth.
We took the view that rather than targeting existing routes the NTA
should look at future growth and the potential to use that as a source for
satisfying the Fine Gael/Labour Government policy of market entry
(2006 position).
2. Why did we withdraw from the LRC Process?
We withdrew on the basis that having raised a number of issues, in
particular potential alternatives and the lack of clarity around 2019, we
were met with nothing but brick walls and an exercise in kicking the can
down the road.
3. Are the NBRU prepared to negotiate a scenario whereby a number of
Bus Drivers will Transfer to a Private Operator?
Again we have to be crystal clear on this particular issue: This Trade
Union will not negotiate or accept the transfer of any current employee
of Dublin Bus or Bus ireann to a private operator in order to facilitate a
Government sponsored privatisation grab of legislatively protected
Public Bus Services.
4. Why serve notice of intention to initiate High Court Proceedings?
The NBRU has been consistent in our view that the basis for what the
NTA are attempting is not legally sound.
We made it abundantly clear to the previous Minister, Leo Varadkar,
his then Junior Minister Alan Kelly and the current Minister Paschal
Donohue, that both Dublin Bus and Bus ireann have legislatively
supported entitlements to maintain current fleet size and current routes.
Just simply allowing a cobbling together of a flimsy or convenient
agreement around this 10% actually misses the point, which is that the
future of the CIE Group and the concept of having Publicly-owned

Transport Companies is under direct threat.
We consistently highlighted the fact that we have been here before
when the Fianna Fail/PD Government attempted to privatise 25% of
Dublin Bus in 2003. This led to a NBRU led campaign (supported by
other Trade Unions) which ultimately led to discussions around market
entry for private operators with the caveat that Dublin Bus and Bus
ireann would maintain current activities/fleet and market growth would
facilitate private entry on an agreed basis (2006).
We contend that subsequent Dublin Transport Authority Act (2008 DTA
Act) incorporated this position into the legislation.
All correspondence with Ministers and Department of Transport
Officials both prior and post the enactment of the 2008 Act supported
the Direct Awarding of contracts to continue to provide public bus
services that both Bus Companies currently provide.
This remained the position prior to the present Fine Gael/Labour
Government assuming office.
(5) Are there risks associated with taking High Court Proceedings?
There are always risks and for and against arguments when it comes
to deciding on a policy, however one thing we are absolutely clear on is:
to do nothing, or make an arrangement to facilitate just 10% on the
basis of a nod and a wink that sur lads yel be grand in 2019, we wont
come after anymore of yere routes would not alone be farcical but
would, we contend be a dereliction of our obligations to our members.
Furthermore, entering such an arrangement would be done on the
basis of a political fix and would have no basis in law.
(6) Are we prepared to engage in Industrial Action against Government
Policy
The NBRU previously balloted members for Industrial Action against
Government Privatisation Policy in 2003, we are currently conducting a
ballot in order to seek a mandate for Industrial Action up to and
including Strike.
The foregoing may not cover all of the questions members may have;
further information will issue in the coming days and week and will be
available on nbru.ie
Issued by the NBRU
54 Parnell Square
NBRU
Evening Herald article on

NBRU's High Court proceedings
to stop Privatisation of bus
services.
DUBLIN BUS MAY NOT EXIST

AFTER 2019
05 April 2015
Government privatisation proposals could result in

both Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann disappearing by 2019
That's the fear expressed by the National Bus and Rail
Union in the Sunday Independent today The union says it's prepared to go to the High Court
over their plans to to privatise 10 per cent of the
countries bus routes.
The government say the measure will save money and
improve services, but the NBRU claim the move will put
thousands of jobs at risk.
Speaking to FM104, Dermot O'Leary, General Secretary
of the NBRU says the the contracts for bus services
awarded by the National Transport Agency are given
out on a 5 yearly basis, and that it is no exaggeration
that the future Dublin Bus itself could be endangered
over the next number of years
https://www.fm104.ie/news/dublin-bus-may-not-exist-after-2019/
Sunday Independent article by Niall

OConnor. Minister facing High Court
over bus privatisation
Minister facing court over privatisation of bus service
TRANSPORT Minister Paschal Donohoe faces being hauled to courts

over the Governments controversial plans to privatise 10pc of the
countrys bus routes.
The National Bus and Railway Union (NBRU) has put both the minister
and the National Transport Authority (NTA) on formal notice of its plans
to launch a High Court challenge.
In the first case of its kind, the National Bus and Railway Union said it is
preparing to take the minister to court in order, they say, to protect
thousands of jobs of CIE workers.
The union of transport workers has warned Mr Donohoe that the
approach being taken by the Government could result in both Bus
Eireann and Dublin Bus no longer existing after 2019.
The latest crisis facing Mr Donohoe centres around the Governments
decision to allow the NTA to tender for the operation of 10pc of routes
currently being run by the State companies.
Talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) broke down last
month as the National Bus and Railway Union and Siptu balloted their
members on potential strike action.
The proposals by the National Transport Authority would mean several
Dublin Bus routes put out for tender, as well as commuter services from
Dublin to Tullamore, Portlaoise and Kildare and some routes within
Waterford City.
Mr Donohoe has claimed that the measures will improve services and
save taxpayer money. However, the unions insist the move will open the
door for a campaign of privatisation, put jobs at risk and worsen
workers conditions.
Mr Donohoe has said the legislation underpinning the measures had
been carefully crafted in accordance with EU law.
The legislation allowed the NTA to renew Bus Eireanns and Dublin
Buss direct award contracts, subject to allowing for tendering of 10pc of
the public service obligation bus routes, he added.
However, these direct award contracts expire in 2019, after which the
unions say further privatisation of routes are likely to take place unless
these plans are changed.
In a letter to Mr Donohoe, seen by the Sunday Independent, NBRU
general secretary Dermot OLeary said 10,000 jobs are at risk.
We are concerned that even where Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann are
providing a first class service, there exists a substantial legal risk that if
any other company could show to the National Transport Authority that it
could also provide an adequate service, then the NTA could find itself in
the position where it is unable, as a matter of law, to continue any direct
award to Dublin Bus/Bus Eireann whatsoever.
If this situation is not remedied, our members face the very strong
probability, that as a matter of law, Dublin Bus and Bus Eireann may not
exist after 2019, Mr OLeary added.
A spokesman for Mr Donohoe said he is disappointed by the threat
and is now taking legal advice.
And they're off in Bray Co Wicklow! Great turnout

from a small shop! April 2015
Irish Times article Dublin Bus staff to

have terms and conditions returned
earlier than scheduled
http://www.irishtimes.com/business/dublin-bus-staff-to-have-terms-andconditions-restored-ahead-of-schedule-1.2114425
Business
Dublin Bus staff to have terms and conditions restored ahead of
schedule
Controversial 19-month cost-saving plan was scheduled to run until the
summer
A dispute over cost-saving plans at Dublin Bus led to a three-day strike
at the company in August 2013
at the company in August 2013
Cuts to terms and conditions for staff at Dublin Bus are to be reversed
much earlier than anticipated.
The controversial 19-month cost-saving plan was scheduled to run until
the summer. However, the measures, including cuts to overtime,
Sunday and premium rates, are to be ended early on a phased basis
following the companys return to profitability.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) told members following a
meeting with management that the company would meet various grades
of staff shortly to outline a phased re-introduction of terms and
conditions beginning in mid-March.
Dublin Bus said it met with unions representing staff in the company to
discuss the implementation of the Labour Court recommendation (on
cost-saving measures), which was scheduled to expire in June 2015.
The reinstatement of certain terms and conditions contained within that
recommendation will be discussed between Dublin Bus and the trade
unions.
The company, in its statement, did not comment on its specific plans for
the restoration of terms and conditions.
at the company in August 2013, following an attempt by management to
implement changes to work practices without agreement.
Ultimately, a cost-saving plan was put in place towards the end of 2013.
The NBRU said it had written to Dublin Bus management several weeks
ago pointing out that the Labour Court recommendation on the costsaving plan provided for an acceleration clause which would give effect
to an early restoration of the terms and conditions to all staff if the
company returned to profitability.
The union said in its note to members that it had reminded management
that a separate pay claim which it had submitted to the company last
April also needed to be addressed.
As part of this claim, the union is seeking the payment of two
outstanding increases dating back to a previous national agreement a
3.5 per cent increase due from April 1st, 2009, and 2.5 per cent from
October 1st, 2009.
Figures published last year showed that Dublin Bus had recorded a net
surplus of 500,000, compared with a deficit of 3.8 million in 2012.
Whos getting on the radio Monday morning for his

review of ?
Transport workers and their

families say no to Water
Charges, USC, privatisation of
Public transport and austerity.
The NBRU says abolish Water
Charges, USC, and stop the

privatisation of public
transport.
The National Bus & Rail Union calls on
the unjust Water Charges and USC to
be abolished. The Union also calls on
the Minister for Transport to stop the
privatisation of public transport.
POSTED BY NBRU_OCONNOR ON DEC - 10 - 2014
The National Bus & Rail Union Oppose Privatisation of Water and
Publicly Owned Bus Services
Bus workers cannot afford this unjust water tax.
Water is a basic human right that should be provided to every citizen
regardless of means, just like transport, education and healthcare
We are once again engaged in a battle against Privatisation.
Bus workers, similar to thousands of other workers have endured a
pay freeze since 2008 and cannot take any more austerity.
This Fine Gael / Labour Government are set on dismantling the public
transport system and give it away to multinationals so rich foreign firms
can profit on the backs of the citizens Public Transport System.
Irish water, just like public transport will be privatised.
In 2009, when the act was passed setting up the National Transport
Authority, workers were told that its not about privatisation but we must
comply with Europe. Sound familiar?
Trade Unions and other representative groups should mobilise and
orchestrate a campaign to have the USC charge abolished.
The National Bus & Rail Union has asked all its members who are
available to attend the march on December 10th not just over this unjust
tax, but to demonstrate our resolve in fighting the privatisation of the
public transport network along with the abolishment of the USC charge.
The essential services of Healthcare, Education, Transport and Water
should never be privatised or commoditized.
We support the call for a referendum to guarantee public ownership of
Water, all essential Public Services should have similar protection.
The vultures are once again feasting on the Irish carcass and must be
stopped.
The NBRU is a totally independent union which is not aligned to any
political party.
We make policy decisions based on the needs of public transport users
and the protection of workers.

Government Policy is to Privatise Publicly owned Bus Services.
Water will be next
RETAIN PUBLIC SERVICES IN PUBLIC OWNERSHIP
The NBRU supports the Right 2 Water Campaign to abolish Water
Charges
National Bus & Rail Union attend the LRC for D-Day
talks on bus privatization
LRC;
Wynns Hotel;
Labour Court;
Updated NBRU schedule of

General Meetings on the Irish
Rail LRC Proposals
-lrc-proposals/
Industrial Relations News
article on September 3rd Irish

Rail LRC Proposals
The Irish Times: Losses at Irish Rail will exceed 20

million after pay cuts!
Transport Minister Pascal

Donohue says Irish Rail cuts
must happen because Dublin
Bus & Bus ireann took cuts.
Their reward. Privatisation
GAA boses call on both sides in

the rail dispute to resolve the
issue
DERMOT OLEARY, General Secretary of the National Bus
& Railworkers Union, has vowed to go ahead with train
strikes planned for the the weekends of the All-Ireland
football and hurling finals.

Speaking to TheJournal.ie today, OLeary was reacting to
new Transport Minister Paschal Donohoes first public
intervention in a dispute over pay cuts between Irish Rail
and its workers.
As long as the company maintains its position in relation to
these cuts, said OLeary, the strikes will go ahead as
planned.
The National Bus & Railworkers Union (NBRU) recently
announced that Irish Rail workers will conduct a two-day
work stoppage starting on 24 August, the day of the first AllIreland football semi-final, and further strikes on 7 and 21
September, the days of both All-Ireland finals.
Slap in the face
Donohoe, who became Transport and Tourism minister in
the recent cabinet reshuffle, told the Sunday Independent
yesterday that such actions would be a slap in the face to
taxpayers.
The minister also insisted he would not be negotiating with
Irish Rail workers regarding pay cuts that have already been
put in place by other transport workers.
He added that the wage cuts were vital to the maintenance
of services the company provides.
The NBRU chief, however, remained firm in his convictions
in a statement sent to TheJournal.ie today:
The fact the minister conveniently ignores is that the
government has reduced the funding stream which is crucial
to providing a public service by 32 million since coming
into office, coupled with a 41 million reduction by the
previous regime has reduced funding right back to 1998
levels.
OLeary also highlighted what he called a distinct lack of
trust among rail workers towards both Irish Rail and the
government.
Irish Rail, for its part, has insisted that the pay cuts are
necessary to help make up a 108 million fall in the
companys annual income since the beginning of the
economic crisis.
IRISH RAIL HAS said that there would be no train services

on the day of the first All-Ireland football semi-final if the
NBRUs proposed strike goes ahead this month.
The union today announced that it will hold a two-day work
stoppage starting on Sunday 24 August if the company
pushes ahead with pay cuts.
Further one-day stoppages have also been proposed for 7
and 21 September, the days of the All-Ireland Hurling and
Football finals.
A spokesperson for Irish Rail told TheJournal.ie this
afternoon that additional services would usually be in place
on those days but such industrial action would make a
complete halting of rail services inevitable.
If the action goes ahead we wouldnt be in a position to
offer any service, the numbers involved would be very
significant, said spokesperson Barry Kenny.
Irish Rail insists that the pay cuts are needed and points to a
Labour Court recommendation which acknowledged that a
hole in the companys finances needed to be plugged. They
say that their annual income is 108 million down since the
economic crisis
The action is only hurt customers and will hurt workers
also, added Kenny.
The company says that the Labour Court proposed that the
pay cuts be for a period of 28 months and would represent
between 1.7 to 5% of basic pay depending on an employees
salary.
The union said in statement that they deliberately chose the
Sunday stoppages to dilute the impact on the travelling
public as much as possible.
The also say that the initial two-day stoppage was timed to
take place in advance of school term and at the end of the
traditional summer holiday season.
Union leaders say that they are not deliberately targeting
GAA fans by scheduling the work stoppages on the planned
dates and insist that the public is always considered when
decisions on industrial action are taken.
Follow
NBRU
NBRU announces Irish Rail ballot results and details of
impending rolling strikes.
http://
nbru.ie/union/?p=489
2:05 PM - 1 Aug 2014
2 2 Retweetslikes
Source: NBRU/Twitter
The NBRU withdrew from talks with the company in June

saying that no serious attempts were being made to
address concerns of their members.
NBRU general secretary Dermot OLeary says that the
company is attempting to run a 2014 service on funding
equivalent to 1998 levels and that the only way for the strike
to be averted is for the company to drawback from their
stated intention.
OLeary added that the Government may need to become
involved to help the dispute.
Theres a role here for Government as well, the Government
have an issue in terms of funding, he says. The simple
statement of fact is that subvention has stopped since 2007.
SIPTU also voted last month to reject proposals that would
see pay cuts phased in over 25 months and voted in favour of
a work to rule programme beginning on the same day as the
intended strikes.
OLeary says that their members have rejected proposals in
three separate ballots and that members have today voted in
favour of the work stoppages.
This evening however, Iarnrd ireann Chief Executive
David Franks has asked both unions not to go ahead with
their planned actions:
I would again urge all colleagues and our trade unions not to
undertake any action which disrupts services, worsens our
financial situation, and puts all our employment at risk.
SIPTU WORKERS IN Irish Rail have narrowly rejected a
Labour Court cost-cutting plan, raising the prospect of
industrial action.
The defeat of the vote by a margin of 53% to 47% comes
after the LRC made recommendations that would see
temporary pay cuts phased in over a 25 month period.
It is clear from this ballot result that our members have
categorically rejected the acceptance of any further pay

reductions, Siptus organiser Paul Cullen said following the
vote, adding that pay cuts are now off the table.
It is clear from this vote that Siptu does not have a mandate
from its members to engage in any further negotiations with
the management of Irish Rail which include any pay
reductions.
It follows union members at Siptu voting in favour of
industrial action at the beginning of last month before fresh
talks appeared to get consensus back on track.
A second union in Irish Rail, the NBRU, withdrew from the
talks saying that no serious attempts were being made to
address concerns of their members.
They had been calling for staff to receive a dividend for
achieving 37 million worth of savings at Irish Rail since
2008.
Irish Rail says that the result of the vote was very much
regretted and notes that the proposals were accepted by
three other unions, the TSSA, TEEU and Unite:
This result is very much regretted, given the financial crisis
the company is experiencing. The savings targeted from
these proposals are essential, along with a range of other
measures, to prevent Iarnrd ireann from becoming
insolvent and to protect our services and the employment of
our workforce.
The company says they must now consider the Siptu result
in light of what they describe as the companys critical
financial situation.
IRISH RAIL IS insisting that strike action by workers is not
not inevitable following comments by Transport Minister
Leo Varadkar that he was not hopeful a deal could be
reached between management and unions on a plan to cut
payroll costs.
Negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission ended
without agreement before Christmas, and Varadkar is
quoted in todays Irish Independent as saying that he could
see strikes happening before March.
The minister warned of inevitable strike action while
stressing that it was the last thing anyone wants to see.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie this morning, Irish Rail

spokesman Barry Kenny said that the situation was difficult,
but that the disagreement was not insurmountable.
The company is targeting savings of 8.7 million this year,
with 4.7 million of that amount to come from savings in
direct pay. The proposals centre on changes to leave and
some allowances.
Weve achieved savings of 68 million since 2008, but its
essential we achieve further cost reductions, Kenny said.
Weve opened our books to the unions because ultimately
we want to be able to make savings by agreement. If we
become insolvent that obviously threatens rail services but
its also a very important issue for our staff.
Kenny said that Irish Rails finances were on a knife-edge
and that the situation was becoming more precarious as
every week goes by.
He said the company had asked the Labour Relations
Commission to refer the matter to the Labour Court. A date
for that hearing is expected to be confirmed within the
coming weeks.
Surprised
Assistant General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail
Union Dermot OLeary said he was surprised at the
Transport Ministers comments.
He said the main impediment to progress in the negotiations
was a disagreement over how voluntary severance payments
for staff leaving the company under the terms of an earlier
agreement were being handled.
It was agreed in June of 2012 that Irish Rail would seek a
minimum of 450 redundancies in a bid to make savings.
OLeary said that some 320 workers had since left, but that
the company had come back to the unions last year seeking
to change certain aspects of the agreement pertaining to
pension payments.
He said it was his members position that the uni0n couldnt
move on to other issues until that matter was properly
addressed.
OLeary indicated progress could be achieved and said
Varadkar would be better off leaving the sabre-rattling
alone.
ONE OF THE four unions involved in a dispute with Irish
Rail over planned cost-savings measures has withdrawn
from talks with management.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) claimed that the
company made no serious attempt to address the concerns
of our members.
The union had accepted an invitation to the talks after its
members rejected a Labour Court recommendation
involving pay cuts, redundancies and restructuring at the
company.
Dividend
The NBRU had been calling for staff to receive a dividend for
achieving 37 million worth of savings at Irish Rail since
2008, and to draw up a framework for a future sharing of
savings.
We wanted the company to immediately engage in
discussions on a shared agenda which would have included a
recognition that services would match current subvention
levels, general secretary Dermot OLeary said, which in
itself would go some way to addressing the finances of the
company.
OLeary told TheJournal.ie that members of the NBRU will
not be balloted for industrial action, although if Irish Rail
introduces cuts, it will be viewed as a provocation.
In a letter to NBRU members, OLeary said the company on
a course of divide and conquer.
Irish Rail has warned that the failure to implement costsaving measures will result in redundancies and the closure
of some lines.
A strike has so far been avoided at the company, although
Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar said he saw one as
inevitable.
The NBRUs unequivocal response to

Minister of Transport Pascal Donohue
Mr Paschal Donohue
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport
44 Kildare Street
Dublin 2
1st August 2014
Re: Privatisation of Bus Routes
Dear Minister,
I refer to the above and your correspondence dated the 18th July.
With respect, your contention that Dublin Bus and Bus ireann are not
being privatised is an attempt to deflect from the issues at play here.
In fact your correspondence appears to be full of contradictions, on one
hand you say that Dublin Bus and Bus ireann can compete for
tendered routes, but then go on to say that the NTA are effectively
testing market pricing by bringing in new operators and enabling
benchmarking.
You also mention the possibility of improving efficiency and customer
service, our members view this as a slur on their not inconsiderable
sacrifices over the last five years, sacrifices that were made in order
(they were told) to assure that the Companies would have a secure
future.
Their reward? To have 10% of their jobs privatised, with a threat
hanging over the remaining 90%.
The pursuit of an ideologically based agenda which seeks to dismantle
a public bus service which has been built by generations of bus workers
is not something this Trade Union is prepared to accept.
In fact our opposition to this policy has evolved over the last number of
months into a public campaign of protest. The campaign has received
considerable public support in those areas being targeted by this illthought out policy.
We remain committed to our campaign and will continue to oppose your
Governments policy of attacking our members jobs.
Furthermore your assertion that TUPE will protect those targeted for
transfer is of absolutely no comfort to our members. The recent Stobart
case here and the constant war on bus workers terms and conditions in
London (model being replicated by the NTA) serves as a sharp
reminder of the usefulness of this particular piece of legislation.
You will also be aware that it offers no protections whatsoever with
regard to pensions.
The NTAs had up to recently made it abundantly clear that they were
not going to involve themselves in staff issues and saw that as a role
for the Companies.
Therefore our continued cooperation with the LRC initiative will be
defined by the willingness or otherwise on the part of the NTA to be
open to debating all of the issues, including the decision to target our
members jobs.
Finally, the timeframe that you envisage for constructive engagement
ignores the reality that the proposed tendering process effectively
commences before years end.
The National Executive Council of our Union will conduct an appraisal of
the LRC process post the meeting scheduled for the 17th September.
Yours Sincerely
______________
DERMOT OLEARY
General Secretary
Government politicians absent

from todays protest against
privatisation of Public
transport.
NBRU to ballot if Irish Rail press

ahead with pay cuts for staff.
Government funding cuts to
blame for the crisis.
Bus and rail union tells members: dont vote for

Fine Gael or Labour
NBRU General Secretary

criticises the Transport
Minister's interference at Irish
Rail. See today's Irish
Independent

Confidential Bus Eireann Plans Leading To Privatization, It Has Revealed

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National Bus & Rail Union submission

Cathaoirleach, Members of the Committee.

Government in response to the NBRU highlighted flaws which exist in

does not physically operate any Transport services, (they act as

In the meantime it is well known that no railway in the World makes

It was a mistake to close

NBRU calls on Ross to Apply similar

29TH January 2017 NBRU press release on Minister Rosss double

NBRU PRESS RELEASE

Bus ireann staff seek

Staff in Bus ireann will be seeking the same level of pay

Highly controversial plans

However, management at Bus ireann has ruled out pay

introduce lower terms and conditions for those working

Bus ireann strike likely over plans to cut staff pay in

Management wants to reduce staffing levels at

Mr OLeary described the National Transport Authority

links into hundreds of communities across Ireland.

Micheal O'Leary, did you not tell the EU to Fuc# off

NBRU calls on Ross to engage in

This is the actual article body

The National Bus and Rail Union has called on

Secretary Dermot O'Leary refers to Mr

Acting Bus ireann CEO Ray Hernan this afternoon

organisation - and outlined a number of areas with

He said they needed to engage with unions to bring

Asked about Bus ireann's contacts with the Minister

usual for the principal shareholder, the minister for

Today I hosted a Dil briefing w/ & on the crisis at

Bus ireann's "call for leadership from all sides"

National Bus and Rail Union Response

NBRU Press Release on possible Labour Court interventionNBRU

NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary exposes

National Bus and Rail Union General President is

NBRU fully supports the Free travel scheme and

NBRU responds to scandalous

NBRU respond to ludicrous "so-called cost saving

NBRU welcomes support from all political parties

NBRU press release in response

Will Rural TD's protect the

Bus ireann has been told to axe its

viable option given the relative certainty that comes with

Transport Minister Shane Ross defended his

to Mr Troy's absence from a transport committee meeting

Mr Ross said that while he did address the issue of

Bus ireann 'faces

Latest figures suggest that Bus ireann has just 18 months to

This is the actual article body

State-owned bus company Bus ireann's financial

The spokesperson said the Commercial and

A planned Labour Court hearing in December had to

He said the fact was that the saturation of the

crisis would not be found between the company and

After a Year of strike threats,we took millions more

NBRU General Secretary

Frequently Asked Questions on the

WRC PAY PROPOSAL

in procurement procedures etc, more importantly in the ten years it has

It is however up to each individual to make your own decision with

NBRU to hold General Meetings on Wednesday 5th

National Bus and Rail Union to hold 2