The management of Dublin Bus has threatened to unilaterally introduce changes to workers terms and conditions of employment from Sunday 4th August. Such action will automatically result in strike action by SIPTU members at the company in line with overwhelming votes in favour of industrial action in a ballot conducted during July. Speaking on RTE Radio One on Thursday, 2nd August, SIPTU Transport Sector Organiser Willie Noone said: “Our members have suffered financially over the last number of years like everyone else in the general public and its come to the situation where we’re having cost cutting exercises now on a yearly basis.” “In Dublin Bus our members took huge cost saving proposals on board back in 2010 and delivered on them which resulted in huge savings for the company. The company has come back to us again, and the main issue in dispute in relation to these proposals is the uncertainty involved. Willie Noone added: “Some of the proposals are so unclear the we are expected to ask members to buy into a package where they don’t know how they are going to be affected. They won’t know how much money they are going to lose every week, they won’t know who many extra hours they are going to have to work every week. This is not acceptable. If they are going to buy into something, they need to have certainty about what they are buying into.” He concluded: “It doesn’t need to be a situation where we have a dispute and subsequently get a resolution. Workers are willing to sit down with the company and come to a solution, but they are not willing to be bullied into accepting uncertainty.”
Dublin bus workers will not be bullied
