The State's transport services will come to a halt for 24-hours on Thursday week after SIPTU announced its members in Dublin Bus, Bus Eireann and Iarnrod Eireann will hold a work stoppage in protest at the direction of talks on the future of CIE.
Trains, as well as provincial and city buses will not run for 24 hours from midnight on Wednesday, March 17th, to midnight on Thursday, March 18th. The move follows a four-hour stoppage led by members of the National Bus and Railworkers' Union three weeks ago.
"This action is in protest at the lack of meaningful progress made between the Minister for Transport and the unions in current talks on the future of public transport and security of employment for transport workers," said SIPTU's national industrial secretary, Mr Michael Halpenny.
"The strike committee believe the talks also lack credibility because of the minister's statement to the Fianna Fail Ard Fheis at the week-end in which he stated he was still wedded to his original view that franchising was the way to open up the bus market to competition."
SIPTU had previously deferred industrial action at the minister's invitation to enter talks "to consider alternatives to franchising". The union said his latest remarks were seen as undermining that commitment.
"The committee are angry at the what they perceive as a clear contradiction between what the minister has said he would do and his statements to the Ard Fheis," Mr Halpenny said.
"We regret the inconvenience that this action may cause to the travelling public but believe the lack of meaningful progress on talks and the minister's contradictory remarks has once again raised questions about security of employment and terms and conditions of employment for transport workers, in the event of any opening up of the bus market to private competition."