School buses not under threat by strike

Anton McNulty

The current Bus Éireann strike will not involve drivers in the school transport sector of the company unless their terms and conditions are altered, according to a SIPTU official.
Bus Éireann drivers in Mayo along with colleagues from across the county have been on an indefinite strike since Friday due to a dispute over management’s decision to implement a survival plan for the State-owned company without union agreement.
The majority of routes in Mayo are covered under the Public Service Obligation (PSO) but the Westport to Athlone service is one of the routes which Bus Éireann intends to cut.
Currently the strike is not affecting the school transport sector but there were rumours in the national media that these drivers might join the strike as it escalates.
However, Dermot Hession, a spokesperson for SIPTU, said there is currently no indication that these drivers will join the strike.
“The school bus drivers are not affected by the dispute and are on different terms and conditions from the affected drivers. There is no indiction that they will be affected but there may be knock-on effects as some of our drivers do act as cover for school drivers if they are off sick. Unless the drivers terms and conditions are also affected, they will continue to operate as normal,” he said.
Mr Hession added that the main concern for Mayo was there was not enough PSO routes and services in the county could to be affected by cuts. He said the main issue for the county was a concern that routes from Galway to Westport, which carry tourists into the county, could be cut, and this may have a knock-on effect for the county in general.