Support Industrial Action by the Bus Workers!

dublin | worker & community struggles and protests | opinion/analysis Friday February 06, 2009 10:00 by Gavin - WSM - Personal Capacity

Dublin Bus is slated to see huge cuts in both staff and services. As many as 290 workers and 100 buses will be cut. This means fewer routes and less frequent service. If the Dublin Bus workers go on strike, it will mean an inconvenience for a few days. However, if they take action and force the company to back down, it will in the long run save us all time and money and will help the environment. It will also serve as a message to the politicians. If they want cuts, they can start by tightening the belts at the top, not the bottom. The politicians are giving bailouts to bankers while they hand out cuts to workers and commuters. It's clear where the money to support public services should come from. It should come from the people who created the crisis!

We need to stop bus cuts because:

1) It hurts the workers, students and the elderly.

The working class will pay disproportionately for the cuts. Those who don't use the bus will find more people driving and consequently more traffic. Children and the elderly often use the bus during off-peak hours, the times which are likely to suffer the greatest cuts to service.

2) It's bad for the environment.

It is bad environmental policy to be increasing car traffic. Fewer buses means more CO2, which leads to global warming. It also means more carbon monoxide and other toxic chemicals in our air.

3) It's bad for the economy.

Decreasing routes means increases in traffic. This will hurt the already ailing economy. Dublin Bus has estimated that losses due to traffic congestion are in the tens of millions of euro a year in Dublin. The Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport just 6 months ago recommended 320 additional busses to aid congestion. In addition it will increase the need to import oil.

4) We need to stop them from cutting all of our services.

This will not be the last public service to come under attack. We all rely on public services, and if they get away with cuts to the bus, you can bet they'll be emboldened to get away with cuts elsewhere. We'll be able to look forward to cuts in health, education, pensions, the dole and anywhere else they feel they can pinch a penny off of us.

5) The money is there.

It just isn't in the public coffers. The bankers who have made billions from the Celtic tiger should be paying for the problem they've caused. If we are going to tighten belts, let's start at the top. We need to raise taxes on the ultra-rich and corporations like shell who have made record profits and cap incomes for the bankers.

Industrial action is the only way for the workers to show the government and the management that they are serious about protecting services and jobs. Talks about so-called 'social partnership' merely give the government the cover for attacks on our living standards.

Tell people you know why industrial action is needed! Support the Dublin Bus workers in industrial action!