Tommy Broughan (Dublin North East, Independent) | Oireachtas source

Tomorrow is International Workers' Day and it is astonishing that a Government with Labour Ministers would have countenanced the privatisation of significant portions of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann networks. The stonewalling of the NBRU and SIPTU by Minister, Deputy Paschal Donohoe, and his colleagues has brought us to the awful situation where between 400,000 and 450,000 bus commuters will be left with no bus transport tomorrow and Saturday. Some 93% of workers with Dublin Bus and 95% of Bus Éireann staff felt they had no choice a few weeks ago but to vote for strike action. We have just had a news flash that the strike is going ahead, which is very disappointing. We welcomed that there was some engagement at the Labour Relations Commission.

Both SIPTU and NBRU have outlined their profound concerns for future pay and conditions of the workforce resulting from the proposed tendering and privatisation of Dublin city and national bus routes. Recent assurances from the companies and the Minister, Deputy Donohoe, may be worth no more than similar assurances given to the Aer Lingus workforce, as Deputy Daly noted this morning. We have the example of the UK since the Thatcherite period in the mid-1980s when its national public bus network was privatised and eventually ended up as a cartel divided geographically between five operators.

The Taoiseach and the Minister have repeatedly spoken about the public service obligation subsidy of €90 million. They did not mention that the subsidy has been slashed by the Government and its predecessors since 2011, year after year.

The PSO for Bus Éireann was cut by €15 million, down from €49 million to €34 million. In the case of Dublin Bus, the PSO only represented approximately 30% of turnover whereas in many other European countries, PSOs are in the region of 70% of turnover. Both companies have produced surpluses in recent years and have brought forward many driver and route efficiencies, including network direct in Dublin.

It is very disappointing that even at this, the 11th hour, negotiations have not succeeded. I strongly urge the Minister to address the six areas of concern to the 6,000 staff and their trade union representatives. What progress, for example, has been made on registered employment agreements? It is my personal view that the Minister should simply abandon this crazy plan and put all of his Department's resources into developing a proper Dublin and national bus service.

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