Workers could take industrial action over Translink funding 'crisis'
Unite says members ready to defend services if genuine threat to jobs
Public transport workers may take industrial action over the cash crisis threatening Translink, trade unionists said.
A Department for Infrastructure official has told a Stormont committee the company is in jeopardy due to years of under-funding.
Unite regional coordinating officer Davy Thompson called on the Stormont Executive to act quickly and warned Translink's collapse would be disastrous.
He said: "The Northern Ireland Executive parties committed themselves to meeting the challenge of climate change but that verbal commitment means nothing if they allow our public transport services to collapse through under-funding.
"Unite members in public transport have taken industrial action to defend public transport services in the past and we stand ready to do so again if a genuine threat to jobs and services emerges.''
Funding for bus and train operator Translink has been cut as part of wider savings and the shortfall is £29 million, evidence to Stormont's infrastructure committee revealed.
It has struggled for years with unprofitable routes.
The public transport operator is funded using fares and Government money.
Its Government subsidy has fallen by around a fifth since 2013/14.
Unite represents most drivers, engineers and inspectors employed by Translink and trade unionists said Wednesday's expert evidence came as no surprise.
In 2015, members of the union brought transport services and Northern Ireland to a standstill repeatedly to defend against austerity-driven threats to town centre routes, rail services and rural runs, Mr Thompson said.
He added: "The way our public transport is chronically underfunded in Northern Ireland is nothing short of a disgrace.
"Translink sustains scores of routes which are uneconomic but are a lifeline to rural and deprived urban communities through the process of cross-subsidising the losses with the surpluses generated by the 15% of routes which are profit-making.
"That is only possible because of the fact that Translink runs all public transport services and because it is publicly-owned.
"The collapse of Translink would be truly disastrous for Northern Ireland.''
He said the loss of the ability to cross-subsidise routes would mean entire swathes of Northern Ireland would be left without any bus services whatsoever.
"Inner city and working-class communities living in towns across Northern Ireland would lose their town centre runs, and already inadequate rail services would be cut further.''
Translink has previously warned that people living in rural communities could be left without local bus services because they are not profitable.
At one stage it was losing about £13 million every year running rural buses.