Dublin Bus: Has a route been plotted to end the dispute?

The sides are in a talks process: Workplace Relations Commission officials have indicated they think there is scope for a breakthrough —but is there really any chance that Dublin Bus strikes won’t resume in time for the All-Ireland football replay this Saturday?

The sides entered a second day of talks yesterday with a yawning gap still between their positions. Driver unions Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), have overwhelmingly rejected a recent Labour Court decision recommending 8.25% increases over three years.

Yet to date, in the absence of workers agreeing to productivity measures, that has been the totality of what the company has been willing to offer. The workers, meanwhile, want increases of at least 15% over the same period, as well as the payment of a 6% increase which they say they are due from 2008. There has also been a call from the NBRU for pay parity with Luas drivers, who were given increases amounting to 18% following a dispute with management earlier this year.