Both sides remain deadlocked in the Dublin Bus dispute, which could see services suspended next Tuesday in the first of a series of strikes.
The general secretary of the National Bus and Railworkers' Union, Mr Peter Bunting, reiterated his demand for the company to open negotiations on the union's 20 per cent pay claim without preconditions. The company brought forward a schedule for talks by a week to next Monday but is still calling on the NBRU to defer strike action while talks take place.
Mr Bunting said that the NBRU was available for talks immediately, but would not defer strike action unless the company gave a commitment to make a significant move towards meeting the claim.
An independent review of the claim said the demand could not be met without damaging the company's competitiveness. The authors of the review, the head of the Irish Productivity Centre, Mr Tom McGuinness, and the former head of advisory services at the Labour Relations Commission, Mr Sean Healy, have made themselves available for further consultations, but their invitation has not yet been taken up.
The other union at Dublin Bus, SIPTU, has expressed a willingness to enter talks. However, it is unlikely SIPTU members will pass NBRU pickets if they are placed on Tuesday.