Richard Boyd Barrett (Dún Laoghaire, People Before Profit Alliance) | Oireachtas source

The workers are just as concerned as the Minister of State and everyone else about their jobs and the viability of the company. However, they are not in a position to take a hit of in the region of €3,000 each per year. The figure of €51,000 to which the Minister of State referred relates to all employee costs and contemplates the salaries of executives who are on much higher levels of pay. It is those executives who, along with the Government, are supposed to bear responsibility for any problems which arise within the company. Will the Minister of State acknowledge that there is a difficulty with regard to the low level of subvention relating to the company? As a proportion of its total revenue, Bus Éireann receives a subvention of 12%. In comparison, the bus company in Switzerland receives a subvention of 51%, that in the Netherlands receives 49% and that in Belgium receives 78%. I put it to the Minister of State that the pathetically low level of subvention being provided in respect of a company which provides a public service and which is not just a profit-oriented entity is obviously forcing attacks on the pay and conditions of ordinary workers. In addition, it is driving the public bus services in their entirety towards privatisation, which I suspect is the real agenda.

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