[ad_1]
The National Union of Buses and Railways has called for public transport passengers to be required to wear face masks and workers to undergo temperature controls for the sake of health and safety.
The union is also looking for “investigative staff” at Irish airports to ensure that transport workers serving them are not exposed to foreign travelers who may be at risk.
In a letter to the National Transportation Authority and major transportation companies titled ‘Lockdown Easement’, Secretary-General Dermot O’Leary warned that while some elements of society may cope with the relaxation of Covid’s restrictions -19, public transportation will encounter significant difficulties, “not least because of the limitations associated with fleet capacity.”
The union seeks continuation of social distancing guidelines, as well as the current disinfection 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 “… the mandatory use of face masks (barrier) for all travelers to ensure maximum protection of front-line personnel and enhance customer confidence” .
It says that all front-line transportation workers who must interact with travelers should be checked for temperature when they get to work with a laser thermometer, and workers registering high temperatures are immediately assisted in accessing a Covid-19 test. .
Such workers, the union demands, must be sent home without loss of wages.
“The waiting period for test results should not see the worker concerned about suffering any loss of earnings,” O’Leary said in the letter.
Workers with negative results would quickly return to work, but when a positive result, they should have access to the generally agreed CIÉ sick pay.
Speaking at RTÉ’s driving time on Tuesday night, Mr. O’Leary added that both travelers and staff must be confident that proper precautions are being taken.
“This is not a matter of labor relations,” he said. “This is a public health issue; a health and safety issue for both people who work in the system and those who want to use transportation.
“It will be difficult enough convincing people to return to public transportation, so we believe that additional protective measures could encourage that confidence for both commuter and staff.”
Mr. O’Leary said that the NBRU is requesting a return to normal service, to increase the capacity of the fleets, instead of the Saturday plus service that is currently in operation.
He said an average double-decker bus can hold 19 people and emphasized: “I don’t see that changing as long as the two-meter rule exists.”
Mr. O’Leary asked that the NBRU “be around the table with the NTA [National Transport Authority]”to discuss possible problems that may arise after normal service can be resumed.
The NBRU also requires additional daily disinfection of the entire fleet and automatic “non-contact” gel dispensing units at all service access locations.
Calls for the immediate reintroduction of the hours from Monday to Friday with the use of the entire additional fleet to increase capacity and allow more effective social distancing.
In his letter, Mr. O’Leary highlighted concern about members serving Irish airports, as other countries are at different stages of blockade or easing restrictions.
“It is widely recognized that other countries are in different stages with the evolution of easement measures, this is causing concern for front-line public transport personnel who provide services to our airports, therefore, special measures should be implemented (investigative staff) to ensure potential virus carriers do not travel on public transportation services that serve our airports, “O’Leary said.
The NBRU is seeking similar protections from both CIÉ group companies and private sector firm Go-Ahead.
Read more coronavirus stories
[ad_2]