Former Greyhound driver supplies ‘contingency staff’ during strike

A former driver with Greyhound Waste is supplying the company with replacement services during its industrial dispute with its staff at Clondalkin, a spokesman for the company has said.

On Wednesday, the spokesman said Calin Bogdan has been supplying workers to the company for some time whenever “contingency staff” were needed because of sick leave or holiday leave.

However, when it was pointed out yesterday that Mr Bogdan was not on the published list of licensed employment agents and agencies maintained by the Department of Enterprise, the spokesman said Mr Bogdan supplies the company with trucks, and that the staff come with the trucks.

Earier this year, Greyhound, in a submission to the Labour Relations Commission, said the company had in the March/April period incurred additional costs arising from the use of “agency workers” and then listed total amounts invoiced by three parties: Mr Bogdan (€75,860); OLT Ltd (€18,170), and Insource Staffing (€17,878).

The spokesman said Greyhound had not been aware that a company established by Mr Bogdan in January last year, BCR Transport and Collection Ltd, was using the same Craig Industrial Estate, Clondalkin, Dublin registered address as a number of Greyhound Group companies.

On Wednesday the spokesman said Mr Bogdan was supplying workers to Greyhound in a sole trader capacity and using his, Mr Bogdan’s home address. He said Mr Bogdan had supplied workers for the Greyhound operations in Dublin City Council, South Dublin and Galway, and not just the Dublic City Council area which is the subject of the industrial dispute.

Mr Bogdan and Mihaela Lintmaier, of the same address in Tyrrelstown, Dublin, are the registered directors of BCR Transport and Collection Ltd, which in its application for registration as a company said it would be involved in the recycling of non-metal waste and scrap at the Craig Industrial Estate. Messages left on Mr Bogdan's phone earlier this week were not returned.

Siptu has said it will raise the issue of Mr Bogdan and the employment agency register with the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, Richard Bruton.