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Pickets come down as three week bus strike comes to an end

Pickets come down as three week bus strike comes to an end

Pickets are coming down across the country as Bus Éireann workers prepare to resume services.

It comes after 21 days of strike action which disrupted the country and cost the semi-state millions of Euro.

Unions and management had been locked in talks earlier this week, but after those meetings failed the Labour Court intervened and has given it's recommendations to staff this afternoon.

Michael Kenefick is a National Executive member of the NBRU for Waterford.

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"The position at the moment is that the Labour Court sat for two days to consider this, which is a very unusual situation. But such is the seriousness of the situation at Bus Éireann at the moment."

"Yesterday, the court requested that the unions lift the picketing in order for the ballot to take place and we said that as soon as we get the recommendation we would do that."

Workers in Waterford holding an impromptu meeting outside station

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"We have just lifted the picket now so services should be returning to normal.

"For operational reasons they may not be back this evening, it will be tomorrow.

"But that is not for the unions to decide, that's for the management to decide."

"There will be a period of maybe two or three weeks for our members to consider the Labour Court recommendation and ballot on it.

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"We will either be accepting or rejecting the recommendation. As you know the recommendation is not binding."

"It's neither binding by the company or by the unions."

 

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