Dublin Bus workers and
other workers being forced to take annual leave during Covid 19 crisis –
effectively stealing their annual holidays
Essential workers
should be rewarded not punished and no worker should have their holidays taken
off them or be unnecessarily laid-off when wage subsidy scheme due to be
established
In a statement,
Richard Boyd Barrett TD for People Before Profit has described as “utterly
disgraceful” moves by Dublin Bus and other employers to force workers to take
their annual leave during the Covid 19 crisis, in a move, which he said
“effectively steals workers annual holidays” and represents a real slap in the
face to essential workers who are putting their health at risk in order to keep
essential services going.”
Deputy Boyd Barrett
was contacted by a number of bus workers last night angered by the move and
posted their concerns on social media and has since received a flood of
messages from other bus workers and workers in other sectors who are being
similarly forced to take their annual leave.
Deputy Boyd Barrett
has said, he also understands from advice he has received from legal experts
and his own understanding of the law, that the moves made by Dublin Bus and
other employers may be illegal, as they contravene provisions of the
Organisation of Working Time Act.
Under the Act
employers are supposed to give workers at least a month’s notice, if they are
directing them to take leave, and any such move requires consultation with the
workers or their union and is supposed to take into account a workers ability
to gain necessary rest and recreation.
Deputy Boyd Barrett
said the move by Dublin Bus and other employers to force workers to take their
annual leave was not just “grossly unfair” but was counter-productive and
“threatens to undermine the huge goodwill and solidarity being shown by the
vast majority of workers and members of the public, who are supporting the
public health effort to defeat the Covid 19 virus.”
Deputy Boyd Barrett
said:
“I really think this a
hugely unfair thing to do to essential workers, like bus workers, who are
putting their health on the line to keep an essential service going, not least
to ensure that our health workers and other front-line essential workers can get
work.
“But since I posted
the concerns raised with me by bus workers about this on social media, I have
also received a flood of messages from other workers who have also been forced
to take their annual leave.
“I think it is not
right to effectively steal the annual holidays from either essential workers
who continue to work for us all, or from workers who are contributing to the
public health effort to defeat Covid 19 by staying at home.
“Moves such as this
threaten to undermine the huge collective effort, solidarity and good-will
being displayed by hundreds and hundreds of thousands of workers and the public
in general, who are all contributing in different ways towards defeating the
virus and protecting our health services and society.
“It is also my understanding
that moves by Dublin Bus and other employers may be illegal and I will be
raising the whole issue with the government and writing to Dublin Bus today.”