Bus Eireann Strike - Rail Disruption

[Mickey H]

https://www.rte.ie/news/2017/0328/863077-bus-eireann/ (extracts)


Workers at both those companies are to be balloted next week on taking industrial action in sympathy with and in support of Bus Éireann workers.


Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, SIPTU organiser Willie Noone said it was reasonable to expect that if wages in Bus Éireann are driven down, then workers in Dublin Bus can expect similar cuts.

He said the ballot of workers will take a number of weeks to carry out.

[JohnnyBoy]

Originally Posted by Mickey H

He said the ballot of workers will take a number of weeks to carry out.

By which time BE will be in examinership.

[ACustomer]

Speaking on RTÉ's Morning Ireland, SIPTU organiser Willie Noone said it was reasonable to expect that if wages in Bus Éireann are driven down, then workers in Dublin Bus can expect similar cuts.

Does he have any real basis for this? Not so long ago DB workers got significant pay rises, unlike (as far as I am aware) BE workers.

Sounds like bravado or "alternative facts", lapped up of course by our ever somnolent journalists.

[James Howard]

For the immediate future, it doesn't seem likely that Dublin Bus will experience the same competitive forces that Bus Éireann are facing. So for the moment, I'd say he has no basis. Who's to say that won't change in the longer term.

The real issue for Bus Éireann is that they can't continue to subsidise loss-making "commercial" routes with PSO funds so they basically have to cut costs or withdraw those services. They obviously can't increase fares since their dwindling traffic is going to go elsewhere. No amount of striking will change this basic equation and state aid rules prevent subsidising Expressway from PSO money.

I've been wondering for a while about how Bus Éireann can operate a lot of their routes at all. I rarely drive into Longford town without seeing a Bus Éireann bus going to or from Ballina or Sligo - both "commercial" (or so the NTA has told me). I really find it hard to see how they aren't losing a fortune on these routes. It's also hard to see how they could be justified as PSO services since both routes are very well served by the train during the day.

[ACustomer]

James Howard: you have got it 100% right. I would go further and say that the real aim of union leaders may be political, i.e. to force a change in the financing framework, and to hell with the EU. Shades of Irish Water, anyone?

For me it looks like a move towards a political strike, aimed at a virtually powerless minority government.

[Thomas J Stamp]

i can see any strike in IE/BAC being injuncted as there are actually no industrial relations issues existing at the moment. its not good enough to say there may be something in the future because of what is going on in BE.

Although off topic as a whole, the basis for the BE strike/problems are absolutely political. Although the unions are saying that this is all about the refusal of the government to pay for public transport the reality is that it is only on certain parts of the expressway network that BE wants to hack at, not the PSO elements, and put the money into the PSO.

In rail terms it would be like IE getting out of DART and putting the savings into Waterford/Limerick. Most of the expressway routes are getting heavy competition from other operators, although the types of coverage from them is selective. Only BE and Kavanaghs serve Roscrea, Nenagh, Mouthrath on the Limerick Route for example. Not all private operators services do Portlaoise either. Im not sure about the Cork route but I imagine that not all of them stop in Cashel etc.

You have to wonder why BE use full sized coaches for many of their routes as well. The old service form Cork to Athlone was ended some years ago, it was a full sized coach and was always mostly empty. Locally we now have a kavanaghs mini coach which serves Thurles/Templemore/Roscrea. That was a profitable part of the route because it was part of the timetable which hit the rush hours, the rest didnt. Maybe this is the way. The BE north south service I see in Nenagh is never anything near full either and is another massive coach.

[Jamie2k9]

i can see any strike in IE/BAC being injuncted as there are actually no industrial relations issues existing at the moment. its not good enough to say there may be something in the future because of what is going on in BE.

Whatever IE do, it may well set a bad tone for pay discussions when the Labor Court make a ruling (must be due soon enough).

[grainne whale]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

i can see any strike in IE/BAC being injuncted as there are actually no industrial relations issues existing at the moment. its not good enough to say there may be something in the future because of what is going on in BE.

Although off topic as a whole, the basis for the BE strike/problems are absolutely political. Although the unions are saying that this is all about the refusal of the government to pay for public transport the reality is that it is only on certain parts of the expressway network that BE wants to hack at, not the PSO elements, and put the money into the PSO.

In rail terms it would be like IE getting out of DART and putting the savings into Waterford/Limerick. Most of the expressway routes are getting heavy competition from other operators, although the types of coverage from them is selective. Only BE and Kavanaghs serve Roscrea, Nenagh, Mouthrath on the Limerick Route for example. Not all private operators services do Portlaoise either. Im not sure about the Cork route but I imagine that not all of them stop in Cashel etc.

You have to wonder why BE use full sized coaches for many of their routes as well. The old service form Cork to Athlone was ended some years ago, it was a full sized coach and was always mostly empty. Locally we now have a kavanaghs mini coach which serves Thurles/Templemore/Roscrea. That was a profitable part of the route because it was part of the timetable which hit the rush hours, the rest didnt. Maybe this is the way. The BE north south service I see in Nenagh is never anything near full either and is another massive coach.

Yes I always wondered why they use the full size (very expensive) coaches on routes that don't require them. Silly really

[comcor]

Originally Posted by Thomas J Stamp

You have to wonder why BE use full sized coaches for many of their routes as well. The old service form Cork to Athlone was ended some years ago, it was a full sized coach and was always mostly empty. Locally we now have a kavanaghs mini coach which serves Thurles/Templemore/Roscrea. That was a profitable part of the route because it was part of the timetable which hit the rush hours, the rest didnt. Maybe this is the way. The BE north south service I see in Nenagh is never anything near full either and is another massive coach.

The only saving on going to a smaller coach is in fuel, which accounts for about a third of the cost of running the service. And then they'll only save a quarter of that third. Against that they save by not having to maintain multiple types in their fleet and not having to train drivers on multiple types.

All that said, the only coaches (as opposed to city buses) I ever see full in Cork are on the PSO routes to Kinsale, Macroom and Fermoy/Clonmel. Otherwise, the Friday evening departures to Galway/Limerick may fill the coach. It all suggests that maybe their coaches are too large in general. I'd also question why they retire coaches when they do only to see them reappear on a private competitor's services.