Bus workers plan High Court action to stop routes being put out to tender
BUS workers aim to halt plans to privatise some Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann routes by taking a High Court action against the National Transport Authority.
Union leader Dermot O’Leary said last night that the National Bus and Railworker’s Union has lawyers lined up for a court action next week to stop 10% of Dublin Bus routes and all of Waterford city’s Bus Éireann network being put to tender.
He said the planned challenge would involve a section of 2008 legislation, which grants ‘exclusive right’ to the two CIE State-owned bus companies to operate their passenger services.
The union moves come after protracted talks collapsed earlier this month. The NBRU and SIPTU have lobbied successfully against privati- sation for nearly 15 years.
Mr O’Leary, whose union represents about 2,000 bus drivers, said that while the court action may prove costly, the members instructed him to take all steps to preserve their current employment and stop tendering for new operators from starting this summer.
The result of an NBRU ballot for threatened strike action is due early this week.
The NBRU had sought clarification on the legislation with then-transport minister, Noel Dempsey in 2008. Its letter to the minister referred to ‘previous discussions with your department in relation to a commitment to maintain Dublin Bus current activities’.
An assistant secretary in the department, Andrew Cullen, responded stating: ‘Section 52 provides that all existing public bus services provided by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann in the Greater Dublin Area will be the subject of direct award contracts.
He went to say the approach promoted in the legislation would ensure ‘existing public bus and existing and future rail passenger services provided by the three CIE companies will be secured through the making of direct award contracts’.
There may be scope for a deal to allow tendering for new routes. Mr O’Leary said that there was a tacit agreement that privatisation would be restricted to expanded rather than existing services.