Mick Barry (Cork North Central, Solidarity) | Oireachtas source

A debate is under way in Cork city on the issue of the proposals for BusConnects Cork and the shape the final plan might take. I will use this opportunity to state my views on the matter. The BusConnects proposals have many positive elements I fully support, including more bus lanes and cycle lanes and a significant cut to bus travel times. I have some concerns about the prospect of plans being railroaded through and I insist on democratic consultation with communities on issues such as making compulsory purchase orders, CPOs, in respect of gardens, changes to parking spaces and so on, should the plan go ahead.

However, the fact Bus Éireann will be forced to compete with private operators for the tenders to run the 12 Cork city BusConnects routes is a deal-breaker for me. The only way Bus Éireann can compete with these private operators for the tenders is by driving down wage costs. In fact, the company has already made a move on this by threatening a pay freeze for not one but two years. Bus services should be run for public need, not private greed, and the privatisation of Cork city bus routes would be bad news for commuters and workers alike, as already has been proven to be the case by the experience in Dublin.

While the BusConnects Cork proposals contain many ideas and initiatives I would like to support, as an advocate for workers' rights I cannot support any plan that has a privatisation agenda baked into it from the get-go.

See this speech in context