Sir, – I read with some surprise your article reporting that non-EU bus drivers may soon be imported to solve the current staff shortage among public and private bus companies (News, November 18th). I was impressed that this important news was accorded front-page status.
Our market economy is supposed to function not just for companies, but for workers as well. If there are not enough trained drivers then surely either the companies must raise their wages or, better, train Irish people to do this work. I could see that in an emergency it might be necessary to temporarily bring in experienced trainers from abroad until the shortage had been dealt with; but bringing in drivers themselves is an absurd long-term solution.
I should have thought that these responsible jobs would attract many competent candidates to company training programmes. If not, and if they cannot economically be made sufficiently attractive to do so, then we shall have to find alternative ways of moving people around. It is in any case the bus companies’ problem to solve, despite their having made it appear to be our problem due to the increasingly patchy service being offered as a result of their failing to attract and train staff. – Yours, etc,
WILLIAM HUNT,
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Ranelagh,
Dublin 6.