Around 190 Dublin Bus engineering operatives are to begin industrial action, in the form of a work-to-rule, from 9pm tonight in a dispute over pay.
Engineering operatives perform various maintenance and general tasks to ensure buses are available to deliver public transport services.
Their union, SIPTU, has accused Dublin Bus of refusing to meet their claim for pay parity with their traffic operative colleagues, who are on a higher grade.
“Their industrial action will undoubtedly impact service delivery and while this is regrettable, they have been left with no other option due to management’s consistent refusal to recognise their skills and pay them properly,” said SIPTU Sector Organiser John Murphy.
SIPTU said that an agreed independent external review of the roles supported the pay parity claim.
In November, however, the Labour Court said it could not recommend what would, in effect, be a 14.5% pay increase without any concession of productivity or related measures.
The court did recommend that the parties engage to finalise agreement on a productivity-based pay increase of 4.5%.
Further talks on the dispute are expected to take place in the coming days.
