Fears of nationwide bus strikes were allayed today following talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).
Public transport unions and the National Transport Authority have clashed over plans to privatise up to 10 per cent of the services operated by State companies, Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus, by September 2016.
The authority originally planned to begin the process of seeking private contractors to operate the routes on December 1st, but today agreed to suspend this until January to allow talks on a number of initiatives.
The outcome means the possibility of bus strikes in the run-up to Christmas has been avoided. It had been feared a failure to reach agreement today would lead to industrial action.
National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) general secretary Dermot O'Leary confirmed the authority had agreed to the unions' request that it pause its plans to begin its tendering process at the beginning of next month.
The NBRU and Siptu fear the privatisation plan could result in job losses at the State-owned bus companies and say they are not happy with current proposals to protect staff transferring to private companies.
The authority has rejected the unions’ claims that privatising routes poses a threat to workers’ pay and conditions.
It noted the State companies would be allowed to tender for the routes being privatised while retaining 90 per cent of the services they currently operate.
