Nearly 3,000 workers in Bus Éireann have been placed on protective notice because of industrial action planned by clerical staff.
About 260 office workers are to begin a series of strikes on Friday, October 25th, the start of the bank holiday weekend and traditionally the company's busiest day of the year. They also plan to strike on Tuesday, October 29th, and every Monday and Tuesday after that until the dispute is resolved.
Neither the company nor the main union involved, however, could say yesterday whether the strike would disrupt services to the public.
Most of the staff concerned are members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association and the remainder are in SIPTU.
They rejected a Labour Court recommendation endorsing the company's offer of a 15 per cent pay rise for certain changes in work practices.
Mr Rodger Hannon of the TSSA said staff in other sections had received higher pay rises for similar changes and clerical staff felt they had been "left in the ha'penny place" by the company.
However, Mr Michael Donnelly, the company's employee relations manager, said the rise was on a par with that accepted by clerical staff in Iarnród Éireann and CIÉ for similar changes.