Union calls on Government to announce timeline for promised stakeholder forum

Unite, which represents craft workers in Bus Eireann, announced today that its members have voted to accept the recommendation issued by the Labour Court last month.

Pointing out that the terms of the recommendation demand heavy sacrifices of Bus Eireann workers, Mr Quigley said that both management and the government bear responsibility for the crisis facing the company, and demanded that a timeline be announced for the establishment of a stakeholder forum to discuss the future of public transport in Ireland.

“Given the gravity of the situation facing Bus Eireann, a majority of our members may have felt they had no option but to accept highly unpalatable measures in the hope that the company’s fortunes can be turned around.

“Our members are picking up the tab for a financial crisis not of their making.  Now, the focus must be on mapping a sustainable road forward for Ireland’s public transport system in general and Bus Eireann in particular.  In that regard, I am calling on the Government to state when the proposal for a stakeholder forum – which was endorsed in the Labour Court recommendation – will be implemented.

“Unite looks forward to playing a constructive role in that forum.  However, we would reiterate that – if the forum is to be more than a talking shop – the Government must make a long-term financial commitment to the future of public transport as a public service”, Mr Quigley concluded.