Unions in CIÉ have postponed until Friday a decision on whether to renew industrial action in their deepening row with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan.
The unions waited in vain yesterday for a response from the Minister to demands they had put to him at a meeting on Monday, which they claimed he had undertaken to provide within 24 hours.
This was denied by a spokesman for Mr Brennan, who said there had been no commitment to respond to any particular deadline.
Informal contacts are now expected to take place over the next few days on whether a basis can be found for a new set of negotiations on the future of public transport.
Mr Brennan wants to dismantle CIÉ and force Dublin Bus to surrender 25 per cent of its services to private operators. He also proposes to increase competition on Bus Éireann routes.
Unions sought a commitment from the Minister on Monday that he would examine alternative proposals. After a four-hour joint meeting of its strike committees for Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann, SIPTU expressed "dissatisfaction and anger" that the response had not arrived yesterday as expected.
Mr Michael Halpenny, national industrial secretary, said the meeting would reconvene on Friday to consider any response received by then. The joint committee had decided to reactivate a programme of industrial action in the event of an unsatisfactory response from the Minister. "The dates and details of this programme will be announced on Friday after consultation with other unions over the coming days."
The other main CIÉ union, the NBRU, also postponed a decision until Friday. Its general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, said he was surprised at the delay in getting a response, but he understood that Mr Brennan had had to attend a Cabinet meeting yesterday morning before travelling to Brussels.
"Given the seriousness of the situation in CIÉ, and the effects a dispute could have on our members, their families and the travelling public, we have no problem waiting a few days to hear his views," he said.
"We will then consider with our colleagues in the other unions what action, if any, may be necessary to protect our members' interests and the integrity of the public transport system."
Mr Brennan's spokesman said contacts with the unions could continue with a view to agreeing a basis for "intensive talks to take place within a short timeframe".
Fine Gael transport spokesman Mr Denis Naughten accused Mr Brennan of deliberately antagonising the unions in order to hide the fact that his transport policy was "non-existent". The bus unions were right, he said, to demand specific information about the Minister's proposals.
