BUS ÉIREANN SERVICES will operate as normal tomorrow despite no agreement being reached during today’s talks.
Intensive negotiations between management and unions took place the Labour Relations Commission today a final deal has yet to be nailed down. The company is seeking €5 million in savings but the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) wants to protect its members’ pay and employment conditions.
TheJournal.ie understands that a range of potential measures are being examined but discussions aimed at resolving the dispute are expected to go on for some time. Unions have agreed to give at least 24 hours notice to Bus Éireann if they intend to resume strike actions.
Workers had walked out of the job on Sunday in protest at management plans to change terms of employment and pay arrangements. However, they suspended the industrial for 48 hours, beginning Tuesday, to return to talks after the intervention of the LRC.
The two-day cessation of services cost the already-loss-making, State-owned transport firm about €500,000.
Tomorrow, another union is to count a ballot its members on industrial action. Siptu says it will go ahead with its vote, noting it expects an “overwhelming” majority of its 900 workers to provide a mandate for striking. It will also ballot members who work at Dublin Bus and Irish Rail on whether they should join their CIE colleagues in a move of solidarity.
Siptu says its members are concerned about the viability of the companies but will not accept a focus on reducing workers’ pay “while seeking no similar contributions from highly-paid management grades”.
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