Dublin Bus drivers are expected to defer Thursday's strike, following a request by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions for the Labour Court to intervene.
However, there is a renewed threat to DART services after direct talks between Iarnrod Eireann and the train drivers' unions broke down yesterday.
Iarnrod Eireann is expected to introduce trainee drivers to the DART service from Monday week as part of the plan to extend services to Greystones and Malahide. If this happens, the drivers are expected to begin an all-out strike.
Meanwhile, six overhead line engineers (OHLEs) with Iarnrod Eireann served a claim yesterday for £20,000 each to service the extended network as far as Greystones. They then indicated they would settle for whatever the DART drivers accepted.
Talks between the company and the DART drivers' unions, SIPTU and the National Bus and Railworkers' Union, failed to make any progress yesterday. The Labour Court had offered to make itself available for talks but no basis for referring the case to the court could be agreed.
The court has already awarded drivers £8,000 each to permit new trainees on the line. However, the drivers have indicated that they want the £8,000 taxfree.
After yesterday's meeting, Iarnrod Eireann's human resources manager, Mr John Keenan, said: "We are now back at the point of conflict reached last Sunday week over the introduction of trainee drivers.
"From our point of view, we have a Labour Court recommendation allowing us to commence training and testing the line for extending the service."
Mr Keenan added that the company was likely to introduce training on Monday week. Referring to the demand for tax-free lump sums, he said: "In the light of the OHLEs' claim, it is all the more important to make a stand."
SIPTU regional secretary Mr Noel Dowling confirmed that his members in Dublin Bus would consider a deferral of Thursday's strike if requested to do so by the ICTU and Labour Court. The NBRU executive is to meet today to discuss the situation.
Both unions are also considering a new Labour Court recommendation on pay at Bus Eireann.
The court is proposing to raise basic pay from the maximum of £280 a week to £300, provide lead-in payments of £1,700, with compensation of up to two years' salary for drivers whose incomes drop as a result of new rosters.