Six days of Dublin Bus strikes to go ahead, say unions

A series of strikes at Dublin Bus are to go ahead, starting next Thursday, trade unions have said.

They said that nothing new emerged from talks which took place on Friday aimed at averting the planned work stoppages.

Trade unions are planning six days of strikes in September as part of an dispute over pay.

Dublin Bus services in the capital are set to come to a halt on Thursday, September 8th, Friday 9th, Thursday 15th, Friday 16th, Friday 23rd and Saturday 24th.

Following the announcement of strike action earlier this week, Dublin Bus management said it would arrange to meet with trade unions “to outline the company’s position, to discuss the issues in the dispute and to seek a way forward to avert industrial action”.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross had welcomed the planned talks between unions and management.

However the general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) Dermot O'Leary said that at the talks on Friday management at Dublin Bus had simply outlined again a position that they had made some weeks ago in the Labour Court.

Staff at the company rejected decisively a number of weeks proposals for increases of about 8.2 per cent over three years recommended by the Labour Court.

Mr O’Leary said: “We did advise in advance of our meeting that parading all parties through the door to create what has now transpired to be a false and misleading impression that the issue of pay could be magically resolved was something that staff and commuters would find intolerable.

“This ritualistic marching of people in and out of buildings, creating as it were an impression that the workers are being intractable, serves no purpose, save for allowing the Department responsible for funding public transport to stand aside Pontius Pilate-like and allow a level of disruption to obtain which will undermine the economic and social fabric of our capital city.”

He said the NBRU was committed to finding a resolution to the pay dispute “in the interests of staff and commuters alike”.

“The one common thread across all industrial relations disputes is that they are ultimately resolved, however it takes more than the commitment of one party to effect an agreement, shirking responsibility, or remaining aloof is not conducive to settling this dispute, the onus is now on the shareholder to unshackle the restraints on Dublin Bus and allow it the opportunity to work with its staff towards finding a solution.”

Unions at Dublin Bus are seeking a 15 per cent pay rise over a three-year period, as well as the payment of an award of six per cent dating back to 2008.

The NBRU is also seeking pay parity for drivers at Dublin Bus with drivers on the Luas light rail system.

Luas drivers secured pay increases of about 18 per cent over four years as part of a settlement reached in June following a lengthy dispute at the Dublin tram service.

Minister for Transport Shane Ross said he was “disappointed that, despite the intensive efforts of both the company and trade unions, as well as previous efforts facilitated by the WRC and the Labour Court, commuters will face massive disruption on Thursday and Friday next”.