National Rail and Busworkers Union general secretary Dermot O'Leary has said the government has a role to play in ensuring that Dublin Bus workers do not go on strike over pay.
"I have been telling everyone for months that anything less than what the Luas workers got is not acceptable," he told Newstalk's Pat Kenny Show.
Dublin Bus staff are likely to reject “disappointing” proposals for pay rises of 2.75 per cent per year and this could result in industrial action, trade unions warned on Wednesday.
Mr O’Leary said that the most a bus driver can earn is €38,000 while a Luas driver will eventually be able to earn a maximum of €50,000. Traditionally bus and tram drivers have been paid the same.
A ballot of NRBU members will be held on Friday to determine if industrial action will be taken.
“We don’t want to go on strike. After the ballot we will decide on the action.
"We told the Labour Court that if their recommendation was less than that given to the Luas drivers then the message they were sending is that the only way to get a pay rise is to strike. "
Mr O’Leary added that he hoped that if a dispute was imminent that “someone” would intervene.
He said there was a need for a wider debate on how public transport is funded. “No public service can survive on its own resources. The Luas is funded by the tax payer too. Most public transport systems are subsidised.
“Hopefully we may not have to go through a dispute. We don’t want 12 days like the Luas.
“People are angry now, it’s our job to give voice to that.”