Bus drivers threaten to strike in pay row

BUS Éireann commuters could be facing transport misery yet again, as one of the main driver unions has threatened to strike if staff are not given a pay rise.

Management at Bus Éireann and unions held talks yesterday over pay at the Workplace Relations Commission.

Staff at the transport company held a three-week strike last year in a dispute over pay cuts and redundancies.

Arriving at yesterday’s talks, Dermot O’Leary, General Secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union, told RTÉ News that Bus Éireann has expanded its services ‘immeasurably’ over the past year, with NBRU members contributing to these improvements.

Mr O’Leary also claimed that while Bus Éireann staff had not had a pay rise in over a decade, workers in Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann, Luas and the CIE group have seen an improvement in pay over the past two years by between 2.5% and 3.75% per year.

He said that a refusal by the company to improve pay would lead to the NBRU holding a ballot on strike action.

Passengers were faced with major disruptions in March of last year when staff staged a three-week strike. The action affected other transport users, as Bus Éireann workers picketed Iarnród Éireann and Dublin Bus.

The dispute, over a survival plan that involved cuts to workers’ pay and conditions, was resolved after a Labour Court ruling.

Bus Éireann told the Irish Daily Mail last night that while recovery is beginning to take effect at the company, the financial outlook remains uncertain and must be managed carefully.