This week, The Liberal spoke to one of the Dublin Bus drivers who are striking and asked him a series of questions as to why he thinks the drivers are entitled to a 15% increase in their wages.
James Molloy (pictured with Dave Foran and Lisa Murray) lives in Westmeath and has been working for Dublin Bus for 9 years.
He told The Liberal his reasons for the strike. He realises the public are majorly put out by the strike but he and the other drivers feel there’s no other option:
“Everyone is entitled to strike and unfortunately it does have an effect on the public but there’s no other option.”, James said.
Asked what James thought of the way German bus drivers strike where they still drive the buses but take no fares, where the public are still accomdated but the company still lose the same money, James said:
“Because that doesn’t have the same effect as a strike has it was discussed and we felt this is the best way.”
Asked what James thought about people who claim Dublin Bus wages are fine as they are, James said:
“I say to them that they don’t know what there talking about and it’s nothing to do with them how much I’m paid.
When I came into the job I was told it takes 4 to 5 years to be marked in (my own route) I’m there 9 years now and still not marked in, I don’t know what time I start work at on Saturday until I get a text at 1pm tomorrow it’s the same for sunday and so on its tough going on my early week I could start at 4.30am and finish at 10am which is fine but the following day I could be in at 7am till 7pm it’d impossible to plan anything because I don’t know my hours till 1pm the day before its not all hunky dory.”
Asked about the possibilty of some people suggestion the company sack the drivers and offer the jobs to people on the dole, activing looking for work etc, James elaborated as to the various skillsets needed to drive a bus, among others training with a supervisor – who would also be striking:
“Anyone with a d or d1 licence still have to spend 4 to 6 weeks in the training school to be brought up to the high standard of driving that dublin bus expect and sure all the dublin bus instructers and mentors are on strike too so that is not viable.”
Finally asked whether he thinks nurses should get a pay rise before Dublin Bus drivers”, James claims:
“The nurses don’t work for dublin bus they work for the hse so if they want to strike I would support them 100% if taxi drivers strike I’d support them 100% because I’m not a begrudger and I think it’s time ordinary decent workers got a pay rise it’s time for people to take back some of the money taken out of our pockets through austerity so get behind us instead of trying to turn people against us.”
You’ve heard from the horse’s mouth as to how Dublin Bus drivers feel and their demands, do you support James and the rest of the Dublin Bus drivers, or do you feel the public has or is turning their support on them?