SIPTU REPRESENTATIVES HAVE suspended two 24-hour work stoppages by members employed by Go-Ahead Ireland after the company announced it will attend a Labour Court hearing in a dispute over pay.

The work stoppages by employees of the private bus operator were scheduled to take place on 1 and 8 March.

“SIPTU representatives conducted a ballot for industrial action of our members employed by Go-Ahead Ireland on 20 December,” SIPTU Sector Organiser, John Murphy, said.

“This vote was required due to the refusal of management to engage through the normal agreed process in talks concerning an increase in pay for our members to take account of the cost-of-living crisis.

“In the ballot, an overwhelming majority voted for industrial action if management continued to refuse to engage on the issue of pay.

“Following this vote, management did agree to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission. However, at these talks it refused to engage on the pay issue separately to other matters.

“We then referred the dispute to the Labour Court, which the company had initially refused to attend.”

He added: “The company has now agreed to attend the Labour Court and our members, in response, have suspended their scheduled industrial action.”

Go-Ahead Transport Services Limited, known as Go-Ahead Ireland, commenced trading in September 2018.

It is a subsidiary of the, UK based, Go-Ahead Group and operates a number of routes previously serviced by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.