A STRIKE in Bus Eireann from October 14th seems likely as strike notice was served yesterday by SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Workers' Union. They voted overwhelmingly to strike over the company's rationalisation plan. Bus Eireann runs buses outside Dublin.
The SIPTU strike notice follows an overwhelming Yes vote in its ballot on action against the plan, which was counted on Tuesday. In a 70 per cent poll, there were only nine votes against, according to SIPTU official Mr Ken Fleming.
A similar result was expected in the NBRU, where the last of the votes were being counted last night. With some 500 of the 560 votes counted, only 15 had voted against industrial action.
"There are certain aspects we are prepared to negotiate on", said Mr Peter Bunting, general secretary of the NBRU, "but the company says it will not negotiate on the proposals. We will be as prepared to serve the public on October 14th as we are on October 7th. We are not the belligerents in this dispute."
Mr Fleming also said the company was refusing to negotiate on the plan, despite numerous meetings. He described the likelihood of industrial action as "very regrettable".
A spokesman for the company said it was disappointed with the drivers' decision. "We had nine meetings with drivers' representatives, three of them under the chairmanship of very senior industrial officers from the Labour Relations Commission", he said, "but there was a failure to address the core issues of the viability package." He said Bus Eireann needed the viability plan if it was to survive.