The Taoiseach has criticised Dublin Bus drivers for going on strike, while agreeing with their argument that they should be less dependent on overtime.
Speaking to reporters yesterday at the end of the EU summit in Lisbon, Mr Ahern said he agreed with the unions' arguments that Dublin Bus drivers should "get away from the overtime culture".
However, he sharply criticised the drivers for going on strike, saying: "If they think the road to having more innovative bus services is to have 200,000 people walking to work, that's not the way I see it."
Mr Ahern said he thought the drivers' unions had a good argument to make. "They say they need more freedom and more room and perhaps to get away from the overtime culture. They should look at more innovative ways of negotiating to do that and the Minister for Public Enterprise has been setting out to do that.
"The way forward is to look to do it that way, rather than ask 200,000 not to be able to move around today."