The management of Bus Éireann has presented its Board with a plan “which will secure the future of the company.”
A key component of the plan, presented earlier today (Monday 27 March), is the “achievement of cost efficiencies with employees to eliminate grossly inefficient work practices, which have been acknowledged by the unions during discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission.”
The Board says its “remains gravely concerned that losses continue to accelerate, exacerbated now by four days of strike action.” The strike started on Friday.
In a statement it says: “Regrettably, today the Board could not sign off accounts for 2016, or pass a budget for 2017 in the absence of agreement with staff.
“This is a very serious matter as the Board must now formally advise [its government-owned parent] CIÉ that this governance requirement will not be met.”
Without a plan that encompasses the “necessary work practice changes to generate savings, it will not be possible to fund a voluntary redundancy scheme.”
Faced with that scenario, the Board of Directors “will have no option but to consider other measures to prevent the business becoming insolvent.”
It has not said what those measures might be.
The Board has called on all employees “to urgently engage with management through their representatives to agree a survival plan to prevent insolvency and provide a viable future for Bus Éireann.”
