LRC intervenes in Dublin Bus row

THE Labour Relations Commission (LRC) has intervened in the dispute between Dublin Bus and its drivers over the company’s plans to get rid of 290 drivers and take 120 buses off the road.

However, while the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), which represents 1,800 drivers at the company, has agreed to attend talks at the LRC, it has not yet agreed to call off strike action which will grind services around the city to a halt on Saturday and on March 9-10.

However, NBRU assistant general secretary Dermot O’Leary said that if management agreed to defer its cutback plans, including 160 compulsory redundancies, his union would “look at any proposals positively”.

SIPTU, which represents the remaining 1,700 drivers at the company, is also expected to attend today’s talks. Its intention is to grind all services to a halt from March 1. How-ever, if the NBRU’s action was to go ahead on Saturday, its members would not cross the picket line, meaning there would be no services whatsoever.

Dublin Bus also said it would attend the talks, adding it hoped agreement would be reached between all parties without serious disruption to the travelling public.

Dublin Bus has projected that it will lose e31 million in 2009 if it does not implement the cutbacks and therefore, a spokes-woman said, it had no choice but to press ahead with its plans. The cutbacks will also see staff hit with a pay freeze.

The talks at the LRC on Saturday will not take into account the impending cutbacks at Bus Éireann, which will see 322 drivers losing their jobs, including 110 drivers compulsorily.