BUS Eireann services are to run normally today as the company continues to defer new work rosters' until a High Court review on their legality is concluded.
Submissions by the company and the National Bus and Rail Workers Union concluded before Mr Justice Kelly yesterday and he reserved judgement.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has threatened to take industrial action if the company introduces new rosters unilaterally. The company had announced it would introduce them last Monday, but subsequently decided to defer doing so until the court case was over.
The judicial review was requested by members of the NBRU, who said the new work practices were in contravention of the 1986 Transport Act.
After yesterday's hearing the NBRU general secretary, Mr Peter Bunting, said: "Whichever side wins the judicial review - and I wouldn't put it in those terms there will have to be negotiation and agreement between us before new plans can be implemented.
"This union was, and is prepared to engage in meaningful negotiations".
A spokesman for Bus Eireann said the company would not be commenting on the issues ahead of Mr Justice Kelly's judgment.
The Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr, Lowry, said in a Dail adjournment, debate last night that precipitate industrial action within any of the CIE subsidiaries "will only further damage the competitive position of the company and make it more difficult to ensure its long term commercial viability.
"A way forward has to be found through negotiation in a spirit of common purpose."