Shane Ross not getting involved in Dublin Bus dispute

Minister for Transport Shane Ross has said he will not be getting involved in the Dublin Bus dispute which has seen a number of work stoppages.

“I’m not going to ride in on a white horse in shining armour and have a cheque book and say that’s going to solve the problem,” Mr Ross said.

“That would be exactly the wrong thing to do. This dispute, as everybody knows, will be resolved.

“It won’t be resolved if I participate in it in a way which would make things far worse.”

Dublin Bus has warned staff that the current wave of strikes at the company is having “a catastrophic impact” on its finances.

Chief executive Ray Coyne said if all planned work stoppages went ahead it could cost the company €21 million.

He signalled that this could plunge Dublin Bus back into the perilous financial difficulties it faced after the economic crash in 2010.

He indicated this could lead to the introduction of new cutbacks that were entirely avoidable.

Dublin Bus staff have so far staged four days of strike as part of a campaign for higher pay.

A further 48-hour strike is planned for Friday and Saturday this week with more stoppages next week.

Unions have also announced 11 days of strikes in October.

In his letter Mr Coyne said stoppages to date had cost €4 million while the strikes on Friday and Saturday will cost it a further €2 million and mean the company will lose money this year.

It recorded profits of about €10 million last year.

“The cost of funding the 15 per cent sought by the trade unions on your behalf is €50million to the end of 2018.

This additional cost on a company that has only recently returned to a sound financial footing is simply not affordable.”

“Unlike the impact of the economic crisis which was outside our control, resolution to the current situation is within our control at this point.

“This ongoing industrial action is undermining all our past efforts and has the potential to return the company to a post 2010 financial crisis. This would naturally require actions to restore the company to a sound financial standing. Returning to such a scenario is totally unnecessary and is at this point wholly avoidable.”

"It is in everyone's interest to resolve this dispute as quickly as possible. I am on record as stating that the Workplace Relations Commission is the correct forum for further engagement.

"Such engagement is provided for in the Labour Court Recommendation.I urge all grades to engage in that process and avoid any further disruption of services."