Government must restore supports to vital public service

September 8th Unite, which represents craft workers in Dublin Bus, has called on Transport Minister Shane Ross to intervene in the dispute which began today.  Speaking in Dublin this morning, Unite Regional Officer Willie Quigley said that the dispute has its roots in what he described ‘persistent underfunding’ of Dublin Bus by successive governments.

“Dublin Bus provides a vital public service, yet we have one of the lowest levels of state support for public transport in the EU. In Dublin, the public subvention makes up just 20 per cent of public transport revenue, compared with over 50 per cent in many other European cities.

“This persistent underfunding has resulted in low wage levels for workers and low service levels for users.

“The dispute which started this morning is about the value we place on our essential public services and the workers delivering them.

“Rather than shrugging off responsibility with soundbites about checkbooks, Minister Ross needs to intervene now in this dispute – and he needs to fight the public transport corner at the Cabinet table, making the argument for an increase in subventions to European levels”, Willie Quigley concluded.