The seven days of strike action planned by bus drivers' unions next month has been described as "disproportionate and unprecedented" by Minister for Transport Paschal Donohoe.
He called on union representatives to return to talks with Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus and warned the disruption caused would endanger the growth of these companies and place their employees in a more precarious position.
“The degree of escalation in the planned industrial action, and the speed with which it happened on Monday is disproportionate and is unprecedented in the history of both companies,” he said.
“This is at a time when both bus companies are experiencing growth for the first time in their recent history, and these days of disruption and the consequences that it will have are going to do an awful lot of damage to recent growth.
"There were issues raised by both unions that were being dealt with in the Labour Relations Commission (LRC)- and many of the matters being raised I've already accepted as being legitimate- and I do believe within the LRC that an agreement could have been found," added the Fine Gael minister.
Bus drivers who are members of the Siptu and NBRU unions are opposed to proposals which would see 10 per cent of existing routes allocated to Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus handed over to private firms.
The seven days of strikes are due to be held over three weekends in May and will cause disruptions to an estimated 850,000 journeys as well as costing the companies involved up to €5 million in lost revenue.
There has been limited contact between both sides in the dispute since the LRC talks broke down at the end of last month.
The Minister was speaking at an event to mark the 10 millionth ride taken on a Dublin Bike. Journeys using the bikes have increased exponentially since a major expansion in 2014, and Dublin City Council assistant chief executive Jim Keogan believes their introduction has contributed to improved road safety in the capital.
“It has contributed to the growth and popularity of cycling generally in the city, and once you have more cyclists using the actual road space I think motorists then have to be more aware of cyclists within the city,” he said.
He said he was in favour of a proposal to turn a traffic lane on the Liffey’s north quays into a dedicated cycle lane, and anticipated the change will eventually be made, alongside other designated cycle routes throughout the city in the coming years.