Bus drivers at the NBRU have voted overwhelming in favour of industrial action after rejecting a Labour Court-recommended pay rise of 8.25%.
Employers are encouraged to be mindful of this strike action as it may have a knock-on impact on your workplace and as such to put in place appropriate measures.
What is the strike about?
Dublin Bus drivers want pay increases of 15 per cent over three years, having rejected a Labour Court recommendation of 8.25 per cent for 3,364 employees over three years without productivity increases.
Unions are also looking for payment of a 6 per cent rise due originally under a national wage deal in 2008. The NBRU is also seeking pay parity for Dublin Bus drivers with drivers on the Luas light rail system.
And the strike dates are?
Staff at Dublin Bus have staged six days of strikes so far this month as part of a campaign for higher pay. Unions are planning to stage a further 48-hour stoppage this Tuesday and Wednesday (September 27th/28th), as well as 11 days of strikes in October.
How might this impact the workplace and what can employers do?
Lateness
One of the implications that could arise from a potential strike is the fact that the employees that would normally use Dublin Bus for their commute could be late for work due to the fact that they would not be able to access this public transport. In addition, the reduced buses on the road will likely increase traffic volumes for those who choose to commute by car.
To ensure that this can be avoided as much as possible, employers should keep their employees abreast of the proposed industrial action and the times over which the action will take place. For example, it is currently expected that there will a bus strike from 9pm Monday 26th of September until Thursday morning.
As such, this will greatly impact not only morning commuters. But also those employees who commence work in the late morning or early afternoon.
As such, employers can notify employees and instruct them to use the to make alternative arrangements for getting into work. This might not rid the problem for good but it might minimise the effects that it could have on a business if employees are prepared well in advance and it might not result in a high level of lateness or absence. Employers could provide employees with the Dart timetables and warn them of the possibility or overcrowding on routes and delays.
Cycling and car pooling
Employees should be encouraged to cycle to work these days and they could provide the Bike to Work scheme details for the employees. This could result in higher applications than usual so payroll departments should be prepared to process such requests efficiently.
Another option that could be suggested to employees would be to car pool, perhaps facilitate this by offering to post notices on noticeboards or staff forums.
Parking
Unavailability of public transport could lead to increased number of staff that might drive to work. Employers could facilitate this by ensuring employees are aware of the parking facilities offered by company/retail park/building. Also offering alternative parking facilities in the vicinity and possibly prices/space availability could improve the level of lateness greatly.
Flexible Working Arrangements
Employers might consider flexible working arrangements for their employees around the planned industrial action. Through forward planning, workloads could be dispersed and moved around in addition to varying employee shift patterns. This may help greatly reduce disruption to your working day.
Employers may also require employees to take annual leave on the days in question. Unfortunately, if the employer does not provide 30 days’ notice of this to the employee then the employee may legitimately refuse but employees may be agreeable.
Employers may also opt to take a more lax approach to lateness on this than they otherwise would that being said, if you have given your employees notice to make alternative arrangements then you could be justified in disciplining the employee where they have not taken any measures to ensure their punctuality.
Conclusion
Simple measures like these would not only benefit the company by avoiding disruption, excessive lateness and absence when industrial action goes ahead but it would also make the employees feel valued and improve their commitment. Forward planning is key and if you require any assistance or advice then please do not hesitate to contact our 24 Hour Advice Service on 01 855 50 50 where one of our experienced consultants will be happy to help.
