Thursday, April 13, 2017
Serving Cork for 120 years
Edition No: 36494
RRP: €1.50
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It’s win or bussed! Backing drivers and backing community: Page 4
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Buses back for Easter Pickets to be lifted while drivers vote
CF drug joy for David, pursuing his golf passion
■ Kevin O’Neill in Parnell Place
AN end to the bus strike is finally in sight but Cork’s bus drivers remain frustrated with the current situation.
■ Audrey Ellard Walsh A CORK Leaving Certificate student with Cystic Fibrosis hopes a “wonder drug” will help him stay healthy enough to pursue his sporting passions. Cystic Fibrosis patients all over Cork were rejoicing at the confirmation that Orkambi has been approved for the Irish market following an agreement between manufacturers Vertex and the HSE. The news brought relief to many Cork families, including the Howards in Currabinny, who hope that their youngest son David will soon avail of the drug. The 17-year-old student of Car rig aline Community School hopes to get the opportunity to try Orkambi, which works by improving lung function and has led to a 40% reduction in hospitalisations in patients during trial phases. The golf-mad teen hopes that the drug will help keep him well enough to continue pursuing his passions. “I am pretty healthy for someone with CF and I am trying to stay healthy,” he says. ■ Continued on Page 2.
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Cystic Fibrosis sufferer David Howard with his dog Ricky at home in Currabinny.
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Recommendations from the Labour Court were expected to be issued by lunchtime today, with unions indicating that pickets will be lifted while these are considered. It will mean an end to the industrial action which has left Cork city at a standstill for three weeks. However, drivers on the front line in Cork this morning said they were none the wiser as they awaited the outcome of the report. NBRU rep and Cork bus driver Tom Foley said the drivers are frustrated with the situation. “There was no need for it to ever get this far,” he said. “The situation we are in now is frustrating and muddled. I had drivers calling me this morning to ask if we were going to work today, tomorrow or any other day and I didn’t know what to tell them.” Bus Éireann management has said it is unlikely bus services will be restored before tomorrow because unions were not prepared to lift their pickets until the recommendation was delivered. However, it means bus users in Cork should see a resumption of services for the bank holiday weekend, something that will come as a huge relief to beleaguered city businesses. ■ Continued on page 2.
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