Drivers put brakes on bus stoppages

Commuters expecting further travel chaos in the Capital today and tomorrow have been granted a temporary reprieve following a decision by Dublin Bus drivers to call off a planned 48-hour stoppage.

However the threat of further strike remains unless a deal is reached in a dispute over pay. Should the talks fail, the tens of thousands expected to travel to Croke Park on Saturday for the replay of the men’s Senior All-Ireland Football Final between Dublin and Mayo will be hit be a scheduled strike.

Yesterday, trade union Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Workers’ Union (NBRU) accepted a request by the Workplace Relations Commission to defer the strikes they had planned for today and tomorrow to allow for four days of intensive negotiations aimed at resolving the dispute.

Travel in the capital has already been severely curtailed over six strike days this month.

In a statement last night, Dublin Bus said that management would continue to engage with all parties “in an effort to find a resolution to this current dispute”.

Siptu said it was hopeful progress could be made in discussions “which can facilitate the cancellation of further planned stoppages at Dublin Bus”.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said if the dispute was to be resolved, the company would have to offer more than the 8.25% increase over three years recommended by the Labour Court but rejected by staff.

Transport Minister Shane Ross welcomed the decision to defer strike action.

Ten more days of strike action are scheduled beyond this week.