Siptu chiefs willing to sanction fresh Dublin Bus strike

The trade union Siptu has said that its leadership will sanction strike action at Dublin Bus if drivers at the company vote in favour of it in a ballot next week.

In a statement, Siptu president Jack O’Connor said that strike action would be sanctioned by the national officers of the union “if that is the democratic decision of the members”.

Drivers represented by Siptu at Dublin Bus are to ballot again next week on industrial action follownig their decision to reject narrowly, by a margin of 51 per cent to 49 per cent, the latest proposals on cost-saving measures at the company.

Yesterday the Government said it would stand by Dublin Bus in the event of a further strike over a controversial cost-saving programme.

Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar and the Minister of State for Public Transport Alan Kelly said the Cabinet had agreed that there was "no basis for further negotiations or interventions as all avenues have been exhausted".

Dublin Bus is to implement a controversial cost-containment plan at the company from Sunday November 17th - a move which could trigger confrontation with drivers represented by Siptu.

In a statement to members at Dublin Bus earlier this week Siptu’s traffic committee said that although an earlier mandate for strike action was still valid it would be appropriate to reaffirm it “due to the changed and serious nature of the circumstances that are now in existence.”

It said these circumstances included the narrow rejection of the cost-saving proposals, the fact that the other union representing drivers in Dublin Bus had accepted the measures and the requirement for maximum unity of drivers in any campaign against unilateral changes to their working conditions.

The ballot on whether to take strike action in the event that Dublin Bus implemented the cost cutting proposals will be held on Tuesday 5th and Wednesday 6th, November.