LATEST: Unions and Bus Éireann management agree to talks at WRC
SIPTU representatives have accepted an invitation to attend exploratory talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) to discuss the dispute at Bus Éireann which has led to scheduled strike action, which is due to commence next Monday.
SIPTU sector organiser, Willie Noone, said: “We have accepted the invitation to attend talks at the WRC.
"The invitation is a welcome development. We note that these talks are to be separate exploratory talks which will allow the WRC to assess and consider the situation.
“We will use these talks as an opportunity to restate our members’ position that the company must remove the threat to unilaterally implement changes to their terms and conditions of employment on Monday, February 20.”
Unions at Dublin Bus are to meet with management today in the hopes of averting another strike.
The National Bus and Rail Union is due to ballot its members for industrial action on Thursday and Friday.
The workers' new pay deal was due to become pensionable on February 1, but the company has delayed that.
General Secretary of the NBRU Dermot O'Leary said that Dublin Bus have reneged on their agreement, and now they will ballot for action.
"Our members and the trade unions have volunteered to not want any strike at Dublin Bus," he said.
"There is no necessity for a strike at Dublin Bus, but it's important to understand that I know people that people might be 'striked-out' at this stage with all that's going on in the economy these days, but certainly when you enter into an agreement in the trade union with a company, a State-owned company I should add, through the third-party institution of the State, the very least you'd expect is both parties, ourselves and the Government, to honour the agreements."
