Bus Éireann seeks talks with unions on financial crisis

Bus Éireann management has written to unions at the company seeking talks aimed at resolving the firm’s financial crisis.

Staff unions are scheduled to commence an all-out indefinite strike at the State-owned transport company from February 20th in protest at a range of cuts to earnings which the company is planning to impose from that date.

Bus Éireann claims that these cuts are necessary to save the company.

However, the company has also said it would listen to any alternative proposals tabled by unions for dealing with the financial crisis facing the company.

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In a letter to unions on Wednesday, Bus Éireann management said that “agreement will only come through negotiation and all sides have to be willing to compromise in order to find a solution.

“For our part, we have always been willing to engage without pre-conditions and we would urge the trade unions to do likewise.”

Unions have said they want management to withdraw the proposed cuts in advance of any talks.

NBRU response

In a replying letter, the general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), Dermot O’Leary, said: “All sides to this dispute owe it to the customers, the taxpayers [and] those that work for Bus Éireann to engage in extensive broad-ranging discussions towards preventing the type of travel chaos that will inevitably ensue if we simply do nothing.”

He said the NBRU would take part in talks if formally invited.

“The commitment in [Bus Éireann’s] correspondence to engage with no preconditions will require to be matched an indication that the offending correspondence will be withdrawn, in order to provide for the type of discussions [the company appears] to desire.”

Siptu

In a statement on Wednesday, Siptu said it would engage in talks once Bus Éireann removed its threat to unilaterally implement changes to workers’ terms and conditions.

“In order to facilitate the earliest possible engagement, the company must as a matter of urgency rescind the contents of its letters of 18th and 27th January, which indicate that our members’ pay and conditions will be arbitrarily changed on 20th February,” the union’s sector organiser Willie Noone said.

“The company must also accept our request in a letter sent to it on 17th January, which it is yet to respond to, that it will revert to the working conditions which were in place on the 16th January.

“Once the company has fulfilled these necessary steps we can confirm our willingness to engage accordingly.”