Management at Bus Éireann is set to signal on Wednesday that it wants to introduce significant changes and restructuring at its loss-making Expressway inter-regional coach services.
Any announcement of cuts could trigger further industrial action in the State-owned transport sector which is already at the centre of a wave of strikes by workers at Dublin Bus. Any restrictions to existing services would also face criticisms from politicians and groups across rural Ireland.
Trade unions at Bus Éireann are expected to seek pay rises for the 2,600 staff when they meet management at the Workplace Relations Commission.
However, management is expected to indicate it wants to put in place measures to deal with losses on its commercial Expressway network which is facing growing competition from private operators. The company does not receive a State subvention for the Expressway service.
Losses anticipated
Bus Éireann recorded a deficit of €6 million in 2015 and is expected to tell trade unions it anticipates similar losses this year.
Unions representing staff at Bus Éireann are expected to look for pay rises broadly similar to those being sought by workers at Dublin Bus. These are of about 5 per cent over three years in addition to payment of a further 6 per cent rise dating back to a national wage agreement in 2008.
Drivers may also look for pay parity with drivers at the Luas tram system in Dublin who secured rises of 18 per cent over four years following a lengthy dispute earlier this year.
However, Bus Éireann is expected to resist pay demands along the lines of those being sought in Dublin Bus.
Unions have feared potential cuts at the Bus Éireann Expressway service since last year.
Strike action
Earlier this year, members of the
National Bus and Rail Union
at the company voted in favour of strike action if management introduced cuts without agreement.
Late last year in a letter to unions, the company’s chairman said it was continuing to examine ways in which to reduce its costs “so as to deliver the profitability necessary to secure a viable future for Expressway.
“This will include marketing, fleet investment, innovation in routing and servicing, together with creating an efficient and cost-effective cost model.”
Dublin Bus services will again come to a standstill on Friday and Saturday in the latest strike by staff as part of their pay dispute at the company.
