Substantive talks on the Dublin Bus drivers' 20 per cent pay claim begin at the Labour Relations Commission this morning. The first major issue will be agreeing an agenda.
The general secretary of the National Bus and Railworkers Union, Mr Peter Bunting, warned yesterday that an early walk-out remains a distinct possibility.
It was only in the early hours, at 4.30 a.m. yesterday that a strike, which would have halted bus services in Dublin, was averted by a formula which deliberately fudged the "self financing" measures needed to fund the drivers' claim and keep it within the terms of Partnership 2000.
Ironically that formula was proposed by SIPTU regional secretary Mr Noel Dowling whose union declined to attend yesterday's opening session because it felt the parties would be too tired for meaningful discussions.
Dublin Bus management and the NBRU did turn up yesterday but, in the absence of SIPTU, little progress was made.
It is no secret that SIPTU negotiators are unhappy with what they regard as the unnecessarily confrontationist approach of the NBRU to the issues. There is also resentment at the intervention of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions in the dispute on behalf of the NBRU on Monday.
However, it is hard to see how yesterday's strike could have been averted without the catalytic effect of the ICTU formula - even though the final wording which emerged from nine hours of often-angry discussions was very different from the original.
Agreement on abolition of the two lowest pay scales in the company, worth between £15 and £18 a week extra to new drivers, did not prove a major problem. Nor did the company's concession of a lump sum of £60 to be paid in weekly instalments to all drivers while the talks proceed.
It was the issues of who should chair the talks and their terms of reference which provoked bitter debate. Eventually a proposal that former ICTU president Mr Phil Flynn replace an LRC official was dropped, although the NBRU retains access to Mr Flynn as a technical adviser.
It was the company's anxiety to keep its "self-financing measures" on the table which was the biggest problem. Dublin Bus can only pay drivers more by cutting costs. Measures, such as a 40 hour week, elimination of travelling time and subcontracting out rural runs are high on its agenda.
The NBRU was so opposed to any hint of productivity being made a precondition to talks that at 1.30 a.m. yesterday its negotiators voted formally against entering talks which had a "self-financing clause" attached. At 2.45 a.m. most of them left the Labour Court to organise pickets for the start of the early shift at 4.30 a.m.
It was shortly after this that Mr Dowling proposed to ICTU negotiator Mr Liam Berney that the "self-financing clause" be replaced by one which read: "The parties accept that the chairman will develop an agenda taking account of the stated position of all parties".
This allowed the unions to enter talks without preconditions but it also allowed the company to keep its cost-cutting proposals on the table.
It took over an hour to call back the NBRU picketers but agreement was reached literally minutes before the 4.30 a.m. deadline.
Today Mr Tom Pomphrett of the Labour Relations Commission faces the daunting task of constructing an agenda that is substantive enough to make talks meaningful and flexible enough to prevent any early walk-outs.