As Dublin Bus drivers vote for strike action against the cuts: DEFEND OUR SERVICES! SUPPORT THE BUSWORKERS!

Bus drivers in Dublin have delivered an overwhelming mandate for strike action if Dublin Bus implement its cuts programme as it plans to from 28th February.

The cuts will mean the decimation of the bus service throughout the city and especially hitting Ballymun and Poppintree with the elimination of muchj of the service on the 13/13A route. A recent article on this site gave some of the details of the cuts planned read it by following this link. Also check out the Dublin North West People Before Profit website for up to date info by following this link.

The cuts will mean 190 sacked bus drivers in Dublin Bus and more in Bus Eireann.

Today, the busworkers rank and file group–the Busworkers Action Group–issued an issue of The Busworker for drivers around the city. We have reprined extracts below which give a good indication of the discussions that are going on in the garages. As can be seen, the drivers are concerned to defend their jobs and conditions as well as fighting the threats to the service to the public.

The Socialist Workers Party in Dublin North West calls on all its supporters to get behind the drivers if they are forced into taking strike action as seems extremely probable. This is the best way to preserve out bus service.
More generally with the Cowen attacks, including the cuts in the under-5 payments and the swingeing levy on Public Sector Pension contributions (which will mean a pay cut of up to 7 and even 10 percent for average workers in local government services, the health, fire and ambulance services, etc, we believe we need to pull together all those whether consumers of services under attack, or workers in those industries (and often both) community groups who face cutbacks in funding, trade unionists, etc into a fighting movement of people against the cuts.

The recent joke “Whats the difference between Iceland and Ireland? One letter and six months!” illustrates that it is possilbe to build that resistance. In Iceland the government recently fell following weeks of protests by working class people agianst the crisis and the determination of the government there to make working class people pay. We need some Icelandic spirit here. We in the SWP are working closely with our allies in the People Before Profit Alliance to help build this much needed resistance. If you would like to get involved contact us on 086-3074060.

THE BUSWORKER FEBRUARY 2008

VOTE TO DEFEND ALL OUR JOBS AND SERVICES.

The NBRU are holding ballots across the bus garages this week. It is vital they receive a huge mandate to defend the jobs and conditions of ALL drivers. A large vote to strike if necessary will send a clear signal to management and Government that will have a huge fight on their hands if they try to sack any driver or change the pay and conditions of anyone.

The NBRU are absolutely right to put our 160 drivers in Dublin Bus and hundreds more in Bus Eireann at the top of the agenda. (Let us not forget there are hundreds more in maintenance facing the same bleak future)They are being treated in a callous manner by a management that has demonstrated no interests in their workers or public transport.

But drivers are not just voting on the jobs of new workers, or indeed the rights of some Euro drivers. This cost cutting package will have devastating effects on ALL drivers pay and conditions. It will wreck the bus service in many parts of the city and lead to bigger gaps and a poorer service throughout the town. Remember we are not just fighting for new drivers, the company want to;

# Remove traveling time, leading to longer working days and more journeys.

#Remove shift pay from bogies leading to a pay cut of about 100 euros.

#Get complete flexibility from drivers, no route, or even garage identity.

#Eliminate overtime with a pool of part time drivers, no Sunday, bank holiday or concert work.

# Force hundreds of marked in drivers back spare and move dozens of drivers from their depots to other garages.

#Freeze our pay indefinitely.

#Bring in the 48 hour week WITH NO COMPENSATION.

Management have shown they are incapable of running a transport service for the people of this city. Any cost cutting has to start at the top by axing those responsible for this outrageous attack on workers and the traveling public. We should not be fooled by appeals to help out “our company”. It will cost the country more money to scrap these services than retain them. CIE drivers do not earn mega salaries like some of our supervisors and cannot be asked to cartry the can for others greed and incompetence

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TIME TO MARCH.

While the NBRU are absolutely right , we need to widen the campaign against these cuts and their logic. There is huge support in the communities to defend basic services like transport. We need to see our union leaders making a public case to retain the level of bus services and look at new ways to encourage people out of cars. As the recession deepens it is likely MORE not LESS people will come to depend on public transport. Not only should we fight for all our jobs and conditions BUT also for the bus service. If we allow 160 drivers to get sacked in any deal it means accepting the company can cut the service as they like. We need to get out into the areas affected and get community and environmental groups on the streets demanding the transport service is kept intact.

Our union need to organize a March to the Dail for all CIE workers and call for support from the people of Dublin to save their bus service

GREEN PARTY PICKET

We held a successful and lively picket outside the Green Party Head office for two hours this week. Carrying placards attacking the Greens record of silence on these cuts, we forced their spokespersons and ministers in to a debate . Cieran Cuff had to publicly admit that the cuts where not sanctioned by Government, and he went on to blame gross mis management at the company . They Greens where embarressed that they where shown to be unable to stand up for one of their core principals. More pickets and protests against them are planned in the coming weeks. We need to get our unions to do likewise. One placard pointed out that the country will pay over 270 million in Carbon levies for failing to reach targets set by Europe. Yet at the same time the Govt will oversee the mothballing of over 300 buses that could lower our emissions. Shame on the greens , but lets get our unions to put them under real pressure!

THE BIGGER PICTURE

This is just the start of a bigger offensive. The Government have announced they will cut public service workers pay by 7+ % under the guise of a pension levy. Have no doubt that the CIE group will try to use this attack to look for massive increases in our contributions as well, and there is open talk of abandoning our medical scheme. The fact is these next weeks and months will determine who pays for the recession over the next few years. Either ordinary workers will or those in the banks, financial and building industry will. The Govt plans mean that workers on the same pay as your average driver will see their pay cut by over 2500 euros per year, on top of the 1% levy and on top of more cuts and changes in each workplace. In the same week that they find 8 billion to refinance the very banks that caused this crisis! While the media bays for the blood of public service workers we need to put the case to retain all services and jobs during the recession. The very economists and commentators who sang the praises of our banks and builders are now tr yin go blame ordinary workers for the crisis. In other parts of the world, even the US, Govt are trying to build their public services in the recession. Here they are trying to dismantle them. As more and more people lose their jobs in the private sector they will need the support of a decent public service, be it in health, education or transport. That is why it is essential we fight for every job and every bus.