Bus strike on the way, last buses 9pm wednesday night, none thursday or friday

[ThomasJ]

Extra demand for trains no doubt, will be crazy.

http://www.dublinbus.ie/News-Centre/...y-9-September/

[ACustomer]

Far be it from me to defend the unions, but the 9pm closure tomorrow is apparently Dublin Bus's doing, and one of the unions have criticised it, saying that they were willing to work all buses back to base as scheduled on Wednesday night.

If that's really the case it is inexcusable on the part of DB management, who seem to think nothing of their customers. A case for a very public ministerial intervention: threaten management with dismissal or a least a very public dressing-down. Time for Mr Ross to show that he is more than just talk.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

Far be it from me to defend the unions, but the 9pm closure tomorrow is apparently Dublin Bus's doing, and one of the unions have criticised it, saying that they were willing to work all buses back to base as scheduled on Wednesday night.

If that's really the case it is inexcusable on the part of DB management, who seem to think nothing of their customers. A case for a very public ministerial intervention: threaten management with dismissal or a least a very public dressing-down. Time for Mr Ross to show that he is more than just talk.

While the drivers might have been prepared to drive the buses back, who would have parked them in the garages, refuelled them, removed all the cash from the safes etc?

The shunters and other garage staff are all going on strike at midnight.

[Colm Moore]

I'm wondering if between the parties, they could agree that the strike starts and finishes at say 04:30.

[ACustomer]

If it's a 48-hour strike, then any tasks in garages which would have been done from 1201am Thursday can re-commence at 1201am Saturday, leaving services to re-commence ass scheduled.

I can't think that actually having the cash boxes un-emptied is a big deal, with all those pickets on guard!

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

If it's a 48-hour strike, then any tasks in garages which would have been done from 1201am Thursday can re-commence at 1201am Saturday, leaving services to re-commence ass scheduled.

I can't think that actually having the cash boxes un-emptied is a big deal, with all those pickets on guard!

Bizarrely enough someone has to park all of the buses in the garages - that's what the shunters do.

Drivers do not park them - they leave them in the front yard and the shunters take them to be cleaned and parked in their allocated space.

If the shunters are on strike from midnight, you would have buses parked everywhere around and outside the depots.

[ACustomer]

Drivers do not park them - they leave them in the front yard and the shunters take them to be cleaned and parked in their allocated space.

If so, they could be left in the front yard for 48 hours, assuming that's behind the gates which give access. The shunters and cleaners can then take up the usual routine 48 hours later. Security should not be an insuperable problem.

DB management have handled this appallingly badly: they managed to give a little more than 24 hour notice of hitherto unexpected disruption. The unions are obliged to give at least a week's notice.

I hear a DB spokeswoman mention Health and Safety as a reason in a radio interview this morning. It has nothing to do with Health and Safety, although it may have something to do with security. This just confirms my view that the Health and Safety mantra is so often a convenient excuse for laziness, incompetence and indifference to customers

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

If so, they could be left in the front yard for 48 hours, assuming that's behind the gates which give access. The shunters and cleaners can then take up the usual routine 48 hours later. Security should not be an insuperable problem.

DB management have handled this appallingly badly: they managed to give a little more than 24 hour notice of hitherto unexpected disruption. The unions are obliged to give at least a week's notice.

I hear a DB spokeswoman mention Health and Safety as a reason in a radio interview this morning. It has nothing to do with Health and Safety, although it may have something to do with security. This just confirms my view that the Health and Safety mantra is so often a convenient excuse for laziness, incompetence and indifference to customers

You clearly have no idea about the size of the depots.

In most of the depots the front yard would accomodate half a dozen buses - you would then have all the other buses (a huge number) parked on the road outside the depot.

That is not acceptable.

You may not want to believe that but it is the reality.

I've rarely if ever come across any company announce their plans in the event of an industrial dispute until they have to - look at Aer Lingus for example - people kept complaining that they left the announcement until shortly before the strike?

Why do they do this? There is always the chance that there will be some talks or an intervention before the strike is due to happen.

Look when other disputes were resolved at the last minute - companies were criticised for advising customers that services would not operate and then did.

There are no winners in a dispute like this.

There is a very simple solution to all of this and it is in the unions' hands - start the strike at 02:30.

[ACustomer]

Berneyarms: What you say is fair enough.

Given that the unions were complaining about the unnecessary curtailment of services from 9pm, why did the company not make your very sensible point about an 0230 start to the strike?

Are they afraid to say anything? Or did they not cop on to a very reasonable point? Can't let DB off the hook entirely.

[berneyarms]

Originally Posted by ACustomer

Berneyarms: What you say is fair enough.

Given that the unions were complaining about the unnecessary curtailment of services from 9pm, why did the company not make your very sensible point about an 0230 start to the strike?

Are they afraid to say anything? Or did they not cop on to a very reasonable point? Can't let DB off the hook entirely.

I think that you'll find that most talks between management and unions about things like that takes place behind closed doors and is not in the public domain.

Expecting it to be so is unrealistic.

Do you seriously think DB management would self-inflict loss of revenue and a fine from the NTA without trying to get the unions to play ball with regard to this evening?

You can be pretty sure that there would have been internal discussions about this.

With any IR dispute the best policy is to keep your on-air statements to a minimum and do the talking behind closed doors. Grandstanding tends to be unhelpful.