There are no Bus Éireann services operating in Co Limerick on Monday morning due to ongoing industrial action over rosters.
The company has described the action as “unofficial” and that it was taken by “a small number of employees”.
“We understand that a large number of our customers in Limerick depend on our services to get around including for work, education, shopping and hospital appointments,” a statement from Bus Éireann said.
“We are disappointed at this action and the impact it is having on our customers and we have urged those employees involved in this unofficial, illegal action to reconsider their actions and immediately return to work.
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“Bus Éireann is continuing to make every effort to resolve this situation and would like to apologise to affected customers.”
The company has advised customers to check the ‘Service Updates’ section of its website and social media channels.
Services, including the bus to and from Shannon Airport, were also impacted on Sunday.
Dermot O’Leary, general secretary of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) said the only way to resolve the dispute over bus rosters in Limerick was to return to the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
Bus Éireann said that it had to cancel all city and county services out of Limerick bus station after a number of drivers placed a picket at Limerick bus station on Monday.
Mr O’Leary told RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland that the union had not known in advance of the unofficial action and was not prepared to “lambast” workers for their actions, but there were procedures to handle such concerns.
The NBRU did not have an official dispute with Bus Éireann at present, he said, but they had warned the company a number of weeks ago that their members would take umbrage at “being forced to do something that they say is not part of their conditions, despite the fact that we agreed on a report to be commissioned in and around spare duties”.
The only way to find a solution was to return to the WRC “where this whole issue started”, to sit down and come up with some way of resolving the issue, Mr O’Leary added.
The general secretary said he had written to the company on September 19th warning that there could be issues in relation to the “unilateral implementation” of changes in the terms and conditions of their workers and that if the changes were introduced on October 1st then the union would have no option but to issue ballot papers.
“That’s the way we do business, through official channels. And I will do that as of today, I will issue ballot papers to our members, but I would rather sit down around a table to resolve the issues,” he said.
Mr O’Leary said he would certainly encourage the members in Limerick to go back to work and operate under protest.
“We issued a notice yesterday morning to that effect that people should work in the normal manner and allow us, officialdom if you like, to discuss the issues with the company through the WRC.
“I would impress on our members that they should be at work, under protest if necessary, unofficial actions will not get us where we need to get, which is a resolution of the issues.
“I would hope that common sense will prevail.”
Mr O’Leary said that the problems needed to be solved through the proper industrial action channels. His union would not use “megaphone” tactics or use media organisations to issue statements.
