A strike by bus drivers in Northern Ireland has been averted after they agreed a two-year pay deal with Translink, it was announced today.
Sean Smyth, regional organiser of the trade union Unite said the deal laid the foundations for advancing and improving public transport in Northern Ireland.
He said his members in Translink recognised the difficult trading condition the company was operating under and had decided to accept a “minimum rise” for the next two years to help keep fares down and to create a better public transport system.
“With the current economic situation in Northern Ireland and the pressure Translink is under it is important that we got a deal.
“This is the worst pay deal our members have ever received from the company, but in the light of the current economic situation and in the light of what we are facing, the constant threat of privatisation which would destroy public transport in Northern Ireland, our members agreed to accept a two-year pay deal with a minimum increase of one per cent each year,” said Mr Smyth.
Meanwhile Translink today put the scrapping of a school bus route in rural Co Fermanagh in hold.
It said it was re-evaluating the decision to scrap the route — it announced at the start of term the road at Mulleek, near Belleek was unsuitable for their vehicles — after running it for over a dozen years.
PA