Ballymena buses making the news

A company in Ian Paisleys home ground of Ballymena has won a 8 million contract to supply 48 buses to the Irish republic's state bus company.

Wright Group in Ballymena will supply the single-deck city buses to Bus Eireann. Irish Transport Minister Martin Cullen announced the 11.5m euro (£8m) contract at the firm's Galgorm premises.

"I believe that practical north/south co-operation can benefit us all,There are many areas in which we can do business to advance the economic agenda, to the advantage of north and south. There is real potential for significant purchasing contracts to service our need for new buses. We are in the business of buses - and I'm delighted to see you tendering for the supply of buses in our market."
Ian Paisley was present for the announcement. The visit follows an Irish Congress of Trade Unions' sponsored meeting between the minister and worker representatives from Wright's in January this year. Mr Cullen also confirmed that Dublin Bus has agreed with Wright to supply their first prototype - a hybrid electric double-deck vehicle, "to advance the sustainable agenda within Dublin Bus".

Meanwhile A Ballymena Catholic bus driver has been awarded almost £80,000 after he was subjected to sectarian abuse by colleagues. A tribunal made the award to Gerald Duffy, a driver employed by Ulsterbus. The 42-year-old also from Ballymena in County Antrim was warned he would be burnt out of his home and would be shot if the Troubles resumed. He also had a Union flag waved in his face during the five-year campaign of harassment, the tribunal heard. Mr Duffy, was awarded £79,161 by a Fair Employment Tribunal which concluded he "endured a series of acts of discriminatory harassment over a lengthy period".

Supported by the Equality Commission, in 2001 he alleged he had been subjected to sectarian harassment and intimidation, and brought a further case in 2002, alleging further sectarian harassment and also victimisation. This was a very difficult time for me and I hope that this will improve the way Ulsterbus and other companies deal with situations like this Mr Duffy said: "My dreams were shattered from what happened, it will be hard to work for somebody else again." He said he was particularly pleased that the tribunal had acknowledged the reality of the abuse he suffered and the effect it had upon him. "This was a very difficult time for me and I hope that this will improve the way Ulsterbus and other companies deal with situations like this, so that others will not have to endure the same treatment I did."

The tribunal found that between 1995 and 2000, the acts Mr Duffy was subjected to were of a serious nature and "particularly offensive and hurtful". They occurred both at his workplace, the Ballymena Ulsterbus depot, and at his home. He was subjected to derogatory remarks about the Pope, told that wearing his crucifix would ensure Protestant bandsmen would get through a nationalist area and taunted about Sinn Fein's Martin McGuinness being made education minister, the tribunal heard.

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Ballymena buses making the news