Staff in Bus Éireann will be seeking the same level of pay increases as secured by those in Dublin Bus, the National Bus and Rail Union has said.
In a letter to Minister for Transport Shane Ross, it said it and other unions would be look for Bus Éireann workers "to be treated no less favourably than their counterparts at Dublin Bus, hopefully without the requirement to engage in disruptive industrial action".
Dublin Bus staff secured increases of 11.25 per cent over three years following a series of strikes over recent weeks.
Highly controversial plans
However, management at Bus Éireann has ruled out pay rises for staff in general and has put forward highly controversial plans to separate its loss-making Expressway service from the rest of the company and introduce lower terms and conditions for those working there.
Management wants to reduce staffing levels at Expressway by up to 150 and has not ruled out compulsory redundancies.
Management consultants brought in by Bus Éireann are currently reviewing these plans.
In a letter sent to the Minister, NBRU general secretary Dermot O'Leary said trade unions would set out their concerns at an Oireachtas committee hearing this week "in relation to the vision for public transport inclusive of the level of State subvention".
"We will take the opportunity at that forum to highlight a number of areas of concern to the NBRU, not least those which are very much part of your remit as Minister, namely department policy and the role of the National Transport Authority in overseeing/implementing this policy".
‘HSE on wheels’
Mr O’Leary described the National Transport Authority as “the HSE on wheels” and said it appeared to have “all the authority with no responsibility”.
“Nothing short of a comprehensive shareholder-led, stakeholder-involved root-and-branch review of the provision and funding of public transport will suffice. Stymieing debate is not an option.
"Large swathes of rural Ireland rely almost exclusively on the humble public bus to engage in economic and social activity.
“Woe betide the politicians who would be held responsible for the dismantling of these vital transport links into hundreds of communities across Ireland.”
