Union warns of looming bus and rail strikes

The National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) has warned that bus and train services will be hit by strikes within two weeks if agreement is not reached in their industrial dispute.

The union - which represents more than 3,000 workers - is locked in battle with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, over his plans to break CIÉ into three separate companies and put a number of Dublin Bus routes out to private tender.

The union threatened six "days of action" last August, following a no-fares day in July, where bus drivers refused to accept fares, allowing passengers travel for free. The planned actions were deferred to allow for talks.

However, NBRU negotiators broke off talks with Department officials yesterday, with the union's General Secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, claiming the discussions "had lost all credibility" and were a "charade".

He said union members were angry that Mr Brennan had reaffirmed his intention to break up CIÉ in a number of interviews before Christmas, despite that fact that negotiations were ongoing. "On the one hand we have the officials telling us one thing in talks and on the other the Minister...is telling the media something completely different."

The union has now told its officers "to take whatever industrial action they feel is necessary to protect the pay, conditions and job security of our members," he said.

"The time of action or the type of action, we'll be discussing tomorrow with our colleagues from all of the unions in CIÉ, and by the way, they're just as incensed and angry as we are and decisions will be made.

"Unfortunately we have no choice at this stage, it will be industrial action," he said. "Up until now, we have taken action designed not to disrupt the travelling public with our national protest, our no fares day, and we have kept away from pure strike action."