‘Wildcat’ action by Bus Éireann staff leaves thousands stranded

Irish Rail has said there is now "uncertainty" over public transport services following Friday's unexpected industrial action that discommoded thousands of commuters around Ireland.

Striking staff at Bus Éireann brought secondary picket lines to Irish Rail and Dublin Bus, preventing those workers from running normal rush hour services.

About 120,000 Dublin Bus passengers and at least 40,000 Irish Rail passengers were left without transport and given no advance warning.

The escalation, which had concluded by early afternoon, was an indication of the potential for serious public disruption as the Bus Éireann dispute drags on without any sign of resolution.

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The strike involving 2,600 staff is now over a week old. It is in response to planned cost-saving measures aimed at improving the company’s finances. The company could be insolvent by early summer.

Transport companies and their passengers will now be concerned over a repeat of the "wildcat" action, something Siptu's transport sector organiser Willy Noone predicted was likely to happen.

Last night, a spokesman for Irish Rail said: “While we have no further indication [of more pickets], we appreciate this is very damaging because it causes a lot of uncertainty for people travelling.”

“The first we knew about it was when Bus Éireann pickets showed up just after 4am,” a spokesman said. “It was designed clearly for maximum effect. Friday is the busiest day of the week for intercity services.”

Unattended stations

Lost revenues at the company will run into hundreds of thousands of euro. Services returned to normal between 10am and 1pm.

At least 40,000 train users arrived to unattended stations, up to 30,000 of which were Dart commuters. While not anticipating a picket line when arriving for work, Irish Rail workers will nevertheless be docked pay for the hours of lost services.

Dublin Bus had about 20 per cent of its early morning buses on the road before the pickets arrived, but the vast majority of its 113 routes were hit.

“We are not party to this dispute and we are not involved in it,” a spokeswoman said.

“It was quite a surprise that that happened today with no warning, which made it quite difficult for our customers.”

Bus drivers were back to work by about 10.30am, but immediately hit heavy city traffic, further delaying the return of normal services.

Both the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) and Siptu said there was no official union involvement in yesterday’s events. Word of the pickets had been sent around by social media.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said he first heard of the picketing through phone calls early on Friday morning. He said he was trying to establish who was involved in the secondary picketing.

Union control

In an interview with

RTÉ

last night, he said he maintained control of his union, but “can’t be sitting on people’s laps every time they want to express anger”.

Mr O’Leary said it was “becoming increasingly clear that the continuous build-up of frustration and pressure among our members is reaching volcanic proportions and may, despite our urgings to the contrary, erupt into the mother of all public transport disputes”.

Bus Éireann has said it is “prepared to re-enter time-limited talks in relation to efficiencies and work practice changes”.

“The company is heading towards insolvency, and without these we cannot achieve a viable and sustainable future,” it said.

The lack of forewarning may have damaged public sympathy for the ongoing Bus Éireann dispute, with early morning travellers incredulous at yesterday’s events.

“I’m extremely irritated. This is so primitive,” said Dublin commuter Conor MacGillycuddy. “It is the wrong way to generate support for their cause.”