Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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30. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if he will intervene in the crisis at Bus Éireann in view of notification from unions of an impending all-out strike from 20 February 2017 and the potentially disastrous effect a strike would have on public transport across the State; if he plans to change his approach of non-involvement in the matter in view of his position as Minister and the consequences that this strike will have in rural and urban parts of the State; his views on whether Government policy has a role to play in the matter and whether he has a role to play as a key stakeholder; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [6327/17]

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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I ask the Minister, in light of notification from unions of an impending all-out strike from 20 February next, if he will intervene in the crisis at Bus Éireann, given the potentially disastrous effect a strike will have on public transport across the State. Is it his intention to change his approach of non-involvement, particularly in light of his position as Minister and the dire consequences the strike will have in rural and urban parts of the State? Does he accept that Government policy has a role to play in the matter and that he, as Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, has a role to play as a key stakeholder?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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​The Deputy is aware of my stated and consistent position in this regard. I am fully aware of the problems faced by Bus Éireann and I am acutely sensitive to the fact 20 February is an important day in the calendar for Bus Éireann and its staff and workforce, to which the Deputy referred. The company must address the financial losses it incurs as a result of its loss-making Expressway services. Those services are commercial and receive no taxpayer funding, and the Deputy is aware of the reasons those services cannot receive taxpayer funding. The issues which must be addressed are internal to the company and are a matter for resolution between it and its employees.

I have been equally clear in my calls for discussions to immediately commence between the two relevant parties, as referred to in my reply to Deputy Troy. I do not doubt that those discussions will be difficult. However, it is obvious they must and will occur. As I clarified to Deputy Munster last week, I am of the view that those discussions should commence on the basis of no preconditions from both sides and, if uncertainty exists, then I would urge both parties to clarify their positions.  Discussions can be facilitated by the Workplace Relations Commission, WRC, and/or the Labour Court.

During last week's debates in the Dáil and at the joint Oireachtas committee, I clearly outlined the actions I am taking, such as ensuring adequately funded public transport services, as budgetary resources allow, assuring rural Ireland that the National Transport Authority will ensure continued public transport connectivity, and reviewing, in co-operation with the Minister for Social Protection, how best to ensure a sustainable funding model for the free travel scheme. In regard to this latter point, the Deputy will recall my clear statement to the joint Oireachtas committee last week that this in no way involves reducing the availability of free travel passes for senior citizens. The free travel scheme is an important scheme to which we remain totally committed.

Additional information not provided on the floor of the House

On the wider question of transport policy, a core objective of that policy is to encourage greater use of public transport. I would expect that objective is a shared one across all sides of the House. In that regard, I note the increasing number of people using commercial bus services, as evidenced by the fact approximately 23 million people used such a service in 2015.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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Prior to the inflammatory ultimatum sent out by the CEO of Bus Éireann to the workers, I repeatedly called on the Minister to engage with all the stakeholders, to sit around the table and find a resolution to this and he repeatedly refused. I asked the Minister to meet with all the stakeholders - the Department, the NTA, Bus Éireann and the unions - and he repeatedly refused. The letter that went out was deliberate, targeted and provocative. The Minister is asking the workers to accept up to a 30% cut in their average pay and for their current contracts to be changed completely. We all know the workers did not create this crisis. The most annoying and frustrating thing of all is that not once did either the Government or the NTA ever admit the real reason for this crisis. That was bad policy, poor decision making and gross underfunding. The Minister cannot be taken with any degree of seriousness until he publicly admits that was the cause of this crisis. I am asking the Minister, because he knows the chaos that lies ahead, to not play with words. We all know there were preconditions. I read out the letter to the Minister that was sent from the CEO to the workers.

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I have debated this with Deputy Munster several times. I thoroughly respect the position she is taking. I ask her not to say I am asking the workers in the company to accept 30% cuts. I am asking nothing; I am making no comment on the demands of either side. The Deputy knows that and everybody else knows that. At this stage, I ask only that the unions and the management come together and talk without preconditions and to put me on one side or the other is wrong. I am not going to be drawn into this dispute on either side. The reason has been totally and utterly clear. For someone to come into this House and say I am asking something the management is asking is incorrect because I am not. It is wrong. I am not saying it is wilfully wrong but it is wrong. I am simply asking that they get down and get talking.

Imelda Munster (Louth, Sinn Fein)
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To play this out as an industrial relations dispute is morally wrong to say the least. As I said earlier, the Minister was repeatedly asked for engagement of all the stakeholders and he repeatedly refused. I do not know if it has actually dawned on the Minister the chaos that will ensue on 20 February. Workers, commuters, college-goers, tourists and people right across the board, including those with hospital appointments, will be affected. The unions have said they will talk without preconditions. If the contents of the letter that was sent out are not preconditions, I do not know what is. It was an ultimatum where the workers were singularly targeted. There was no admission of bad policy. Until such time as the CEO of Bus Éireann agrees to meet the workers and set aside those inflammatory preconditions, programme or suggestions - whatever the Minister wants to call it - the management of Bus Éireann, the Minister and the Government will have to take direct responsibility for the chaos that ensues. The unions were blue in the face asking the Minister to engage with them even prior to this letter. It is still a game of playing with words. No preconditions my backside. What worker in their right mind would agree to a 30% cut when they did not cause the crisis?

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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I cannot spell it out more clearly. Both sides have used those words. The Deputy is saying she does not believe one but she believes the other. I happen to believe both; I think they both genuinely mean what they say about this. I think this will lead to them talking at some stage. If people, either on the union or management side, have said what they want prior to coming together that is fair enough, but let them come to the table with a clean sheet. Let them come together and say what their position is. It will then be in the public arena and one cannot withdraw what one has said in the public arena. Before they sit down there should be no preconditions in the sense there is nothing to stop them coming to the table. That is all we are looking for. It is very simple. I can castigate either side for making demands in advance because it does not help the industrial relations situation. I will not do that because that is what has happened. Let them get down and talk to the Labour Court or the WRC now and forget about what they said in the past. It does not really matter. Much of this is just positioning.