Latest: NBRU receive legal letter from CIÉ following Friday’s wildcat strike
: The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has confirmed that it has received a solicitor's letter from the CIÉ Group in relation to costs resulting from Friday’s wildcat strike.
Irish Rail and Dublin Bus services were disrupted by Bus Éireann pickets on Friday morning.
Almost all trains and buses were cancelled, with management saying it was completely unexpected.
General Secretary of the NBRU Dermot O'Leary confirmed they had received correspondence and said it had been passed to the union’s legal team for comprehensive assessment.
On Friday the NBRU advised its members that the unofficial action undertaken at Dublin Bus and Iarnrod Éireann did not have the official sanction of the NBRU.
SIPTU members employed as Bus Éireann school bus drivers are to commence a ballot for industrial and strike action.
The move was announced on Friday and sector organiser Willie Noone said today he expected the ballot to be concluded by April 21.
The Unite union is hinting it could lift its strike action at Bus Éireann for talks, if the company withdraws plans to unilaterally impose cost cutting measures.
There is speculation today that a fresh round of negotiations could be in the pipeline, 11 days since services were withdrawn.
Both unions involved, the NBRU and Unite, say they are willing to attend the WRC, if it does intervene.
Unite spokesman Willie Quigley today indicated progress on the strike could be made if company proposals are dropped.
"That would bring it back to where we are engaging and talking and trying to resolve it and all that.
"We are willing to re-engage and be at talks with them trying to resolve the matter, any day, any time, so you would assume that that would bring us back to a point where there is no strike in place and we are trying to resolve the matter," he said.
The head of the NBRU says the union will attend official talks to resolve the Bus Éireann dispute, if they are invited.
There are reports that the WRC could intervene in the row after the strike spread to Irish Rail and Dublin Bus on Friday.
Hundreds of thousands of commuters were left stranded when union colleagues refused to cross picket lines.
But workers have been warned any more 'wildcat action' could jeopardise negotiations.
Dermot O'Leary has indicated there is a chance they could call off their strike for the duration of the talks.
"Of course I'll attend if invited by the WRC. The WRC will decide what construct the call, if it comes, will be."
Another Monday, another day of action in the Bus Éireann dispute.
Across the weekend, there were reports that Irish Rail and Dublin Bus would seek costs from the NBRU after Friday's wildcat action.
The NBRU says any communication will be passed on to their legal teams, but they stress they never encouraged any unofficial stoppage.
There has been speculation that the escalation might hinder any further intervention by the WRC or Labour Court.
The NBRU's Dermot O'Leary says that would be unfortunate.
"Well look, I mean anyone that would make an assessment of such actions would come to that conclusion, but then again I'm not here to speak on behalf of those institutions.
"Those institutions are privately owned after all and there are people like me, and people in my position should not ever dare to speak again on their behalf," he said.
