Industry and Employment Correspondent
The National Bus and Rail Union has called for public transport passengers
to be obliged to wear face masks and workers to have temperature checks in
the interests of health and safety.
The union is also seeking "vetting personnel" at Irish airports to ensure
transport workers servicing them are not exposed to travellers from abroad
who might be at risk.
In a letter to the National Transport Authority and the main transport
companies entitled 'Lockdown Easement', General Secretary Dermot O'Leary
warned that while some elements of society will be able to cope with the
relaxation of the Covid-19 restrictions, public transport will encounter
significant difficulties, "not least due to the constraints associated with
fleet capacity".
The union is seeking the continuation of social distancing guidelines, as
well as current disinfecting and cleaning regime at Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann
and Irish Rail, adding "with a similar regime required at Go-Ahead Ireland".
However, the NBRU is also seeking an escalation of protective measures,
including "...compulsory wearing of face (barrier) masks for all commuters
to ensure maximum protection of frontline staff and enhance customer
confidence".
It says all frontline transport workers required to interact with commuters
should have their temperature checked as they arrive for work with a laser
thermometer - with workers registering a high temperature immediately
assisted to access a Covid-19 test.
Such workers, the union demands, should be sent home without loss of pay.
"The waiting period for test results should not see the worker concerned
with suffering any loss of earnings," Mr O'Leary said in the letter.
Workers testing negative would return to work quickly, but where a test is
positive, they should have access to the usually agreed CIÉ sick pay.
Speaking on RTÉ's Drivetime on Tuesday evening, Mr O'Leary added that both
commuters and staff need to have confidence that the appropriate precautions
are being taken.
"This is not an industrial relations matter," he said. "This is a public
health matter; a health and safety matter for both the people who work in
the system and those who want to use transport.
"It will be hard enough to convince people to go back on public transport so
we feel the extra protection measures might encourage that confidence for
the commuter as well as the staff."
Mr O'Leary said that the NBRU is requesting a return to normal service, to
increase capacity of fleets, instead of the Saturday plus service which is
currently in operation.
He said an average double decker bus can hold 19 people, and stressed: "I
don't see that changing as long as the two-metre rule is in place."
Mr O'Leary called for the NBRU "to be around the table with the NTA
[National Transport Authority]" to discuss the potential issues that may
arise after normal service can resume.
The NBRU is also demanding additional daily disinfection of all fleet, and
automatic "no touch" gel dispenser units in all service access location.
It is asking for the immediate reintroduction of Monday-to-Friday schedules
with utilisation of all extra fleet to increase capacity, and enable more
effective social distancing.
In his letter Mr O'Leary highlighted concern about members servicing Irish
airports, given that other countries are at different stages of lockdown or
easing restrictions.
"It is widely acknowledged that other countries are at different stages with
the evolvement of easement measures, this is causing concern for frontline
public transport staff that serve our airports, therefore special measures
(vetting personnel) will have to be implemented to ensure potential virus
carriers are not travelling on public transport services that serve our
airports," Mr O'Leary said.
The NBRU is seeking similar protections in both the CIÉ group companies, and
at private sector firm Go-Ahead.
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