I thank the Minister for coming to the House to respond to this matter. We are within days of a dispute which threatens to deprive Dublin and surrounding areas of a bus service. It is imperative that the Minister for Public Enterprise, Deputy O'Rourke, and the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Deputy Harney, intervene to try to avert the threatened strike of Dublin Bus employees which is due to start next Tuesday. The withdrawal of almost 1,000 buses serving over 130 routes will create real hardship for those who rely on public transport and will be a real setback for Dublin Bus. For most people in Dublin and many of the neighbouring parts of Kildare, Meath and Wicklow, there is no alternative form of public transport, and the withdrawal of bus transport and the bus services will leave huge numbers of commuters unable even to travel to work.
During the 1970s and 1980s the image of public transport suffered greatly from repeated industrial disputes. In recent years it has managed to remain largely strike free and with the introduction of additional vehicles and welcome innovations like the quality bus corridors, confidence in public transport is recovering and more and more commuters are using buses. Against this background a strike would be a serious setback.
There are also public safety aspects to such a dispute. The likelihood is that many of those who normally use buses but who might live within walking range of DART or commuter train lines will try to crowd into already overcrowded carriages. Overcrowding on DART and rail lines already constitutes a serious safety hazard. Thousands of extra people trying to crowd on provide a recipe for disaster.
While the strike next week is planned for only one day, the unions have made it clear that unless the dispute is settled it will gradually escalate action with a two day strike the following week and three days the week after, until all-out action is reached by the middle of next month. Every effort must be made to avoid this dispute and the relevant Ministers must act now, not at the end of a crippling dispute.
Driving large buses in Dublin traffic conditions is a demanding and stressful occupation and this should be reflected in the wage structure. A basic starting scale of £207 per week, which is only about £30 more than the statutory minimum wage that will apply from 1 April, going up to £273, does not reflect this and indeed it is clear that part of the reason for this dispute is that bus workers do not believe the work they do is reflected in the current wage scales.
The claim at the centre of this dispute was first lodged in August of last year. Strike notice has already been served twice and deferred twice. The NBRU, which has served strike notice, is in a difficult situation in that it is told that its claims are outside the terms of national agreements. However, the NBRU is not a member of ICTU and is not a party to national agreements.
There is also anger among bus workers at the role played by the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke. The Minister promised that if certain productivity changes were agreed from 1 January 1999, public service contracts would be guaranteed for Dublin Bus which would improve the position of the company and provide job security. Workers also believe that the culture of low pay in the company arises from the very low subsidy received from the Exchequer, one of the lowest for any public transport system for a European city of comparable size.
It is imperative that the two sides get back to the negotiating table as soon as possible. The union has said it is available for talks 24 hours a day. Management has said that it will not be available until next Monday and will only talk then if the strike is called off. It has threatened to refuse to negotiate if the dispute starts. This sort of approach is not helpful. Some gesture from management is required. A recognition that drivers are not adequately remunerated for the work they do would be a start. Some realistic offer from management would help.
We urge the Minister, Deputy O'Rourke, who has responsibility for public transport, and the Minister, Deputy Harney, who has responsibility for labour relations, to intervene to secure the re-opening of talks between unions and management with a view to averting this potentially disastrous strike. I know that Ministers are particularly reluctant to intervene in industrial disputes, but there are plenty of precedents for this and there are cases where the impact on the public is such that intervention is justified.