Videos: Minister Lister On Bus/Ferry Reductions
The community is seeing a reduction in public transportation routes, and Transport Minister Terry Lister said the cuts in both the ferry and bus service are done with an aim to staying within the allocated budget, which has been reduced from the previous year.
Earlier this month, the Transport Ministry confirmed that the summer ferry schedule has been reduced due to budgeting constraints, and various bus routes are being cancelled on a daily basis.
Minister Lister said in the past few years when bus operators were sick or off work for any reason, the Department would call in staff and pay them overtime rates to cover the workload. He said with the recent budget reduction, the Transport Ministry made a decision not to pay overtime unless they “really, really had to.”
He said when making cancellations they look carefully at the needs of school children, people coming from work and tourists, and make them the priority, while cancelled the least ridden routes. He also said that cancellations are never done in the morning, and spoke about an employer telling him some of his staff were coming in late in the mornings due to the bus cancellations, and Minister Lister pointed out that buses are not cancelled in the morning.
The Minister said that Government’s position is that with 3,000 Bermudians unemployed, they will not put Government workers out of work, so every Government worker is “pretty much assured of their job.”
When asked if he felt if any of the bus drivers were calling in sick on purpose, he said he felt there “was an element of that,” but that most bus drivers come to work as expected, and do their jobs well. However, he also mentioned that last year there were a few bus operators who called in sick 20, 30 and even 40 times.
He said in every department the director has gone through to see what can be cut to stay within the budget, without eliminating staff. In the case of the ferries, it was cutting routes and aiming to reduce fuel consumption, and with the buses they are aiming to avoid paying overtime unless they deem it to be extremely important.
When asked about Opposition Leader’s statement that “Bus operators are being made the scapegoats for poor financial management by the Ministry of Transportation,” Minister Lister said he is “extremely disappointed in Kim.Swan” and gave his reasons. Watch below:
We asked Minister Lister about a point some of our readers had posted, that while the overall budget mandate was “to do more with less,” cutting back the ferry and bus routes appears “to be doing less with less.”
The Minister said that “unfortunately that is a true statement,” and stressed they are greatly trying to adhere to the budget, and not run over costs.
“However, he also mentioned that last year there were a few bus operators who called in sick 20, 30 and even 40 times.”
Well what do you expect when you give people 20, 30, 40 days of paid sick leave? Blah!
Mr. Lister “said when making cancellations they look carefully at the needs of school children, people coming from work and tourists, and make them the priority…”
SO WHY HAS HE CANCELLED ALL THE PAGET/WARWICK FERRIES DURING THE WEEKEND AND DRASTICALLY REDUCED THE NUMBER OF FERRIES DURING THE WEEK? THIS CERTAINLY DOES NOT SATISFY THE NEEDS OF THE TOURIST WHO STAY IN THE HOTELS AND GUEST HOUSES ALONG HARBOUR ROAD (which, by the way, is not serviced by buses)OR THE WORKER OR THE SCHOOL CHILD???
I completly agree. Cutting ALL Lower and Hodsdons ferries before 9:30 am makes no sense to me.
he didnt. that comes under the collective bargaining agreement.
20, 30, 40 times sick!!! what !!! Now I understand the statement that Governement worker can’t even fire themselves…… How many sick days are they allotted annually?
I want a Government job!
Had one the abuses are UNBELIEVABLE!!!!!!!!!!!
40 sick days a year!!! The average person works 5 days a week x 4 weeks a month = 20 days. That is a total of 2 months that those individuals did not work because they were “sick”. Another 10 to 25 days paid vacation equals 2 – 5 weeks more. Great benefits …gereater abuses of the system. Thank you Mr. Lister for standing up and demanding fair work for fair pay.
Forget the collective bargaining agreement. Who’s running the country in this time of crisis. The Government or the Unions.
My Lord….were back to square one again. Differant threads…….same hole in the linen.
Um moovin Jamaica. Detz rite!!!!!! Or even The Gilbert Islands……..Gated communities, plenty food, tourists to rob plenty gunja………did plaize suks…………..
Enough of Terry…. this is one sick man…his comments are stupid !!!!! Please bernews get rid of this joker….
Here is the problem. All credit to Vexed Bermoothes for finding this out.
Bus driver sick pay entitlement:
3m-4yrs: 5 weeks full pay
4-8yrs: 6 weeks full pay
8-12 yrs: 8 weeks full pay
12-16 yrs: 12 weeks full pay
16+ yrs: 14 weeks full pay.
Plus (and this is almost beyond belief) they can CARRY FORWARD 100 days of unused sick leave to the following year.
With this ridiculous system it’s a wonder there are ever any buses on the street, frankly.
Vexed does not need credit. I knew that. It’s common knowledge but is kept quiet or not discussed because it involves thousands of Gov. Employees.
Vexed is just bringing it to the forefront due to the ecconomic crisis and the daily failings of certain Gov. Departments.
Ooops….dropped my needle again. ….Hey….ferryman…geeve me ah leeft to Hemilton……..damn….dah two fass…….
Well credit to Vexed for telling us. You didn’t mention it I notice. What is it, a freakin state secret?
Does anyone have any idea how many days uncertified sick leave are allowed at one time before the driver has to produce a doctor’s certificate? Can a driver take 2,3 or 4 days off ‘sick’ before he has to produce a sick note??
According to the published info 3,000 sick days (certified and uncertified) were taken in 2010 – anyone have info on how many drivers this covers?
this is not correct. These times apply to long term disability leave.
Welll…no wonder were freeking broke………………………….and it ain’t funny……..Long Term…………..
411, You are wrong. This is sick leave, NOT long term disability.
It’s scandalous.
This is a shocking revelation. The tail is truly wagging the dog!
That is a lot of time off for sick leave. And I have never heard of carry unused sick leave over from year to year. Is this only in Government workers agreement.
That does not happen in the private sector, its usually 5 to 10 acceptable sick days a year.
Actually, @ 411…I’ve spoken to someone who works in the Parks Department who confirmed 1) he’s been there 8+ years so he does have 8 weeks paid sick leave 2) that he can carry over all of his sick leave. Are you saying that the unionized government employees don’t know what they are entitled to?
sick leave = vacation for gov. employees.
well that means the doctors are in on it to…they the ones that have to verify these folks are sick after missing work for more than 3 days…
You really think the sick has caused this issue? How about free bus and Ferry? Wonder how that adds up to? There lies your real problem!
Terry (Lister) has a real problem here. If he tells comes clean about how Bus drivers are calling in sick and milking the system – he risks pissing them off even more. If he does nothing then they continue calling in sick and basically stealing from the public purse. Load of thoughtless b$$t$$ds if you ask me.
….and this is a LABOUR government. Laughable!!
Can’t wait until we have Philipino bus drivers. They’ll be on time and off weed. Then we’ll have a service!!!
In addition, Terry (Lister) enabled this situation when he bowed under pressure recently and reinstated the ‘sick’ bus driver who got caught on his other job.
So Terry Lister is really to blame for enabling this. Bus drivers are definitely in control, they can call in sick whenever they want and are fully protected. This will only get worse until Government finally stands up to them. Good luck Terry. Show us some of that testicular fortitude your bass talks about.
Certain people years ago were assassinated because of ………
Fact is, comming soon to you near a burning threatre will just be the same..black on black.
Philosophy 101……………..
“We got you here. Nah yah tallin us vat two doo”…….Damn UBP…and White people……..Nawa deed nuffin…….ann det ba$%&rd Sur Jorge Summers…….must have been smokin a reefer………………..wufflaz hunkie………….
Terry. No one is interested in your asinine, incoherent posts. You are intent on derailing every discussion with your nonsense, if you can’t make intelligent posts which make sense. Don’t make any.
Dee, “incoherent” ? What are you, still in fourth grade? Either that your a son/daughter of an exempt company president who has been here twoo weeks. Get reall.
Yes, incoherent. You may be attempting to speak ‘Bermujan’ but your posts are infantile and complete nonsense. By the way, I’m Bermudian.
Take some time out fella, your loosing it.
Is this guy for real!!! If he isnt a case for being banned for abuse …no one will ever be. Freedom of Speech is one thing but c’mon!
this is yet another smoke and mirrors move peoples, its all b@@sh%%t
Bernews, love you guys but just look at the phot’s you put up of Mr. Furbert and Mr. Listers.
Really. Smily face and face of defience.
Dropped my needle agin……..
Really, this sends a message. I got it. …..( yeah yeah…standard photo).
Standard photo, I got mine. You got yours
Terry Lister is soooo full of Sh#% he can’t even hide it!!!!!! Kim Swan was right!!!
Boy, Chris Furbert seems plenty pissed off. Could this be a strike looming? Or will Lister cave in and give them all they want AGAIN!!!!!!
Furbert’s P.O.’d because he’s been found out. The truth is out and it makes him look like an idiot
I am pretty sure members of these Unions were celebrating the change of power. I said it before, sometimes you get what you wish for! Enjoy getting wet while the boat sinks with no life vests except for our leaders! At least our former Premier stood up to this nonsense! Oh well!
Stood up to what nonsense? Have you forgotten the drunken ferry pilot?
“Former Premier stood up to this nonsense”? Rubbish. He let them off the $7m for absolutely nothing in return.
Did anyone, for the slightest minute think that the Premier would loose her fight of saving $150,000.000. At the end of the year when she proudly stands at the podium and tells the country she did it, and reset the dial, well! You can take that one to the POLLS.
Did Premier Cox not say that in her first year in office she will make a saving of $150,000.000?