Businesses fear footfall drop as commuters face bus strike

Dublin city centre businesses say they are concerned over the potential impact of a continued Dublin bus strike.

More than 400,000 commuters will be left without busses tomorrow as the drivers strike continues following the implementation of nearly €12m worth of cuts.

According to the Dublin City Business Improvement District, 42% of shoppers access town by bus on a day-to-day basis.

Preliminary figures suggest footfall figures in the city were steady over the weekend, though spokesperson Richard Guiney said the bank holiday meant any figures "wouldn't be typical."

He said more detailed information is expected to be collated in the coming days.

"Our hope would be that there will be a speedy resolution to the dispute," he added.

Earlier, the National Bus and Rail Union called on Dublin Bus to confirm that management will face pay cuts as part of the controversial cost-cutting package.

It said it was open to talks in order to call a halt to the strike, but requires assurances on the salaries of company management.

A spokesperson for Dublin Bus, however, said all avenues in relation to negotiations have been exhausted.

"We've been through the Labour Relations Commission seven times and we've been through the Labour Court twice," she said, stressing that the company was implementing a Labour Court recommendation.

"At this stage, after 14 months of exhaustive negotiations … we've been through all the IR [industrial relations] machinery that's available to us."