Shane Ross has been speaking to Pat Kenny on Newstalk FM about the escalating Bus Éireann dispute.
Shane Ross, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, has told Pat Kenny that he will not step in to resolve the Bus Éireann dispute with taxpayers' money despite the fact that much of the country's public transport system ground to a halt on Friday morning.
Ross's inaction has prompted anger among a lot of commuters whose lives have been disrupted for the last eight days by the Bus Éireann stoppages, and on Friday morning by the cancellation of Dublin Bus and Irish Rail services due to secondary picketing at depots across the country.
The Minister, however, claims he's on the side of the public while standing on the sidelines.
“I’m on the side of the public, I’m not taking sides. [Both sides in the dispute] should abide by the rules of industrial relations and start talking. What happened this morning is not going to intimidate me," he said.
“I won’t do anything under the threat of industrial dispute. Once this industrial relations issue – which is none of my business – is sorted out, I’ll get involved. I have no role to play in organising how these companies are run.
“They just want me there with my chequebook and I won’t do that.”
