A chara, – I am not annoyed with the Bus Éireann workers. I wish them well. I am extremely annoyed at the nonchalant indifference of Shane Ross, who is supposed to be the Minister for Transport. Is it because he resides within the Pale and is out of touch with rural Ireland? Union leader Dermot O’Leary’s call for an all-stakeholder forum is reasonable. The Department of Transport, the National Transport Authority, Bus Éireann, private operators, the unions and all other relevant stakeholders need to sit down and figure out what the future of our bus network should look like. That will help inform deliberations between Bus Éireann management and unions to resolve the current impasse. Instead, the Minister has done nothing. If something is not done soon, the dispute will spread to the rail network, and the Pontius Pilate act won’t wash then. The Minister could well find himself on the road to nowhere! – Is mise,
KILLIAN BRENNAN,
Camolin, Co Wexford.
Sir, – The present Bus Éireann strike is unjustified. It involves trade unions that are intransigent and a supine management that has delayed the implementation of measures to address the company’s problems. The company is going down the tubes and the unions will not even discuss a reduction in overtime. It should be remembered that there is no proposal to reduce basic pay rates. It is understandable that workers do not want to agree to a reduction in take-home pay but refusing to even consider reduced overtime is not reasonable and will not solve the problem. What needs to happen is for the company and the unions to agree some kind a development and efficiency plan. It is in the workers’ interest that Bus Éireann should be successful. If the company can be more efficient with the co-operation of the workers then increases in basic pay could be achieved in the medium term. – Yours, etc,
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DENIS COSTELLO,
Templeogue,
Dublin 6W.