Industrial action from Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann will go ahead as planned from midnight tonight after talks looking to resolve the dispute broke down.
It is estimated that tomorrow's industrial action will have an effect on more than 1 million commuters around the country, with the strike planned to last for 48 hours.
The talks were at a tipping point before today's breakdown, as Owen Reidy of Siptu said that he was going to go to last minute talks "more in hope than expectation", and that their six key areas of concerns had not been met, nor had anything new been brought to the table in the latest round of discussions.
The cause of the dispute is the possible privatisation of around 10% of the routes currently operated by the State transport firms, which the unions claim would result in a deterioration of the working terms and conditions of their members.
Despite both sides coming to the Labour Relations Commission today in an effort to avoid the action, there was no solution found, and the action will go ahead as previously planned.
Via The Irish Times
