Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 26 June 2014
233. Deputy Bernard J. Durkan asked the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport the extent to which discussions have taken place with CIE unions in the context of future transport policy; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [27735/14]
View answerMy contacts with the trade unions on transport policy have been about the direct award contracts for the provision of Public Service Obligation (PSO) bus market services held by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann. These contracts expire later this year. The awarding of subsequent contracts is the statutory responsibility of the National Transport Authority (NTA). The NTA decided in December that all Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann routes will be included in the new five year direct award contracts which the NTA will enter into with the companies next December. However, the NTA announced that 10% of publicly subvented bus services will only remain within the direct award contracts until the end of 2016. After that they will be operated under separate contracts that will have been competitively tendered. It is open to the two incumbent companies to compete for any tendered routes.
In the case of Bus Éireann not being successful in the competitive process, staff would be protected under the European Communities (Protection of Employees on Transfer of Undertakings) Regulations 2003 (the “Transfer Regulations” or “TUPE”). Minister of State Alan Kelly and I meet with the unions representing Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann workers in November to discuss this matter. Arising from that we asked the NTA to put a structured engagement with unions in place and the NTA met with the NBRU and SIPTU unions in January and March this year.
