Threaten strike action at Dublin Bus averted after pension deal

A dispute over pensions which threatened to affect Dublin Bus services has been averted.

Management at the company said on Wednesday that it would honour an agreement to make pay increases, agreed as part of a settlement that ended a strike last autumn , reckonable for pension purposes.

Unions had planned to ballot members in Dublin Bus for industrial action after the company failed to meet a deadline of February 1st to make pensionable the 11.25 per cent pay rise over three years agreed last September.

Siptu organiser John Murphy said: “SIPTU has today received written confirmation from the management of Dublin Bus that it intends to honour settlement terms, agreed at the Workplace Relations Commission in September 2016, which resolved a dispute on pay.

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“Dublin Bus had sought a deferment of applying agreed increases in basic pay to our members’ pension entitlements. This deferment was to allow discussions to take place between trade unions and CIE Group management in an effort to resolve pension issues within the Group’s schemes. This deferment was agreed until the end of January 2017.

“Over the last number of weeks, Siptu representatives had repeatedly sought assurances from the management of Dublin Bus that the company intended to honour the settlement terms and apply the increases in pay to pensions as of 1st February, 2017. Unfortunately, such assurances were not forthcoming. It is disappointing that it was only when Siptu representatives notified Dublin Bus of our members’ intention to commence balloting for industrial action, due to this breach of the agreement, that the company confirmed they would honour the settlement terms.”