Oireachtas Joint and Select Committees

Wednesday, 15 February 2017

Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport, Tourism and Sport

Bus Éireann: Discussion

1:30 pm

Mr. Dermot O'Leary:

I have a habit of jumping in, but my colleagues can answer as well as. In the last interaction he had with the committee, Mr. Ennis mentioned a sectoral employment order. One of the fundamental problems with the tendering process is that people are competing on wages. The direct answer is that it is going to be very difficult for Bus Éireann, or any of the CIE companies, to win any tender in future when that is hanging over them, when people are allowed to pay under the counter, pay a minimum wage and behave inappropriately. The latter is a mild word, but I could use much stronger language than that.