A breakthrough in the row between unions and the Minister for Transport over the future of CIÉ could be on the cards despite sharp exchanges between the two sides at a tense meeting yesterday.
The Minister, Mr Brennan, is expected to assure unions today that he will discuss other options for the future of the Dublin bus market, apart from his own plan to privatise 25 per cent of existing services.
That may be enough to persuade unions to enter new talks with the Department of Transport, for the fourth time in less than a year.
The prospect of a truce remains in the balance, however, with union leaders insisting that trust in Mr Brennan was at an all-time low.
The two sides engaged in what the CIÉ unions described, in a statement, as a "very frank exchange of views" during talks lasting nearly three hours yesterday.
Exchanges continued after the meeting, with Mr Brennan taking exception to aspects of the unions' statement, which claimed the Minister had admitted knowing little about industrial relations.
The unions also said the Minister accepted he had caused difficulties by making "pronouncements" in the media, and acknowledged that some of the impasse between them was of his own making.
Mr Brennan said last night he was "somewhat disappointed" that comments he had made at the meeting had been taken "completely out of context", and included in a formal statement at a "particularly sensitive time".
His suggestion that he knew little about industrial relations was made during "some banter" in one of the meeting's "lighter periods".
He had not taken all the blame for the impasse, and suggested that both sides had to accept some responsibility, he said.
Despite the continuing tension, there were indications that enough common ground could be found to get new talks started.
The two sides have been in dispute since November 2002, when Mr Brennan first outlined his plans to dismantle CIÉ and force Dublin Bus to surrender a quarter of its routes to private operators.
In their statement after the meeting, the unions said they had made it clear to the Minister that they would not accept a reduction in the number of services.
"He was also advised that there were other models for improving and enhancing public transport," a spokesman said.
Union sources indicated last night that they did not expect Mr Brennan to abandon his own proposals, but they required a commitment from him that he was prepared to give genuine consideration to other ideas for improving public transport.
It is understood the Minister is likely to provide such an assurance to the unions, before SIPTU's Dublin Bus, Bus Éireann and Iarnród Éireann strike committees hold a joint meeting at midday today.
The other main CIÉ union, the NBRU, will also meet today to consider Mr Brennan's response to yesterday's meeting. The two unions say they will consult on their next move.
If Mr Brennan's assurances are not satisfactory to the unions, preparations for a renewed campaign of industrial action are expected to begin immediately.
The two unions already have a mandate for such action, and had embarked on a series of one- and two-day strikes last year. These were deferred to allow negotiations, which have since broken down, to take place.
Mr Brennan agreed yesterday that new talks, if they do take place, can be chaired by an independent facilitator.
