Dublin Bus has been served with strike notice for September 16th by the National Bus and Railworkers' Union. It has also informed the company that the initial one-day action will be escalated to an all-out strike by Monday, October 11th.
After the one-day strike on September 16th, a two-day strike will follow on September 20th and 21st, a three-day strike from September 30th to October 2nd, and a four-day strike from October 4th to October 7th.
Dublin Bus has no plans to introduce private buses to operate on the new Quality Bus Corridors, should a strike go ahead. The complex routes and fare structures pose serious problems, and it is unlikely the assistance of the Army would be sought unless the strike was protracted.
The action by the NBRU is being taken in pursuit of a 20 per cent pay claim, which would raise basic wages to £330 a week.
After the NBRU set the strike yesterday, its general secretary, Mr Peter Bunting, said that he was "appalled the company has not even had the decency to offer us a meeting since we presented the claim.
"We make no apologies. Drivers have given concessions on a whole range of issues while wages have lagged behind other transport sectors.
"Stress has increased incredibly for our people," he said. 49 people out of 1,600 covered by a group insurance plan had retired through stress-related illness in the past two years.
"In comparison, another group plan with 10,000 teachers in it, who have a very stressful job, has received 49 claims over the same period."
Mr Bunting criticised business leaders such as IBEC director Mr Turlough O'Sullivan for condemning the NBRU pay claim. "Many employers in the private sector have exceeded the terms of Partnership 2000 in an effort to hold on to workers and ensure a stable labour force, and there is a wall of silence about that.
"For too long CIE employees have been subventing public transport by low wages. There is £1 billion being invested in infrastructure but no money is being invested in the company's most important asset, its employees."
Dublin Bus spokesman Mr Joe Collins said the company could not afford to meet the pay claim because of the cost and because it breached the terms of Partnership 2000. He said drivers could earn between £251 and £359 a week when overtime and allowances were taken into account.
The NBRU is threatening strike action over another 20 per cent pay claim at Bus Eireann, but it is awaiting a Labour Court recommendation before balloting members. The recommendation is not expected for at least another 10 days.
Meanwhile, talks are to begin this morning at Iarnrod Eireann over the proposed DART strike next Monday. The human resources manager, Mr John Keenan, invited the drivers' unions, the NBRU and SIPTU, to discuss the problem of new trainee drivers and staff redeployment. These are needed to extend the service to Greystones.