A STRIKE has impacted all Bus Éireann services in Limerick this Sunday.
In a statement to Limerick Live, the company said it regrets to announce that "due to unofficial industrial action taken by a small number of our employees, all services in Limerick have been impacted and are currently not operating today".
They encourage customers to check the Service Updates section of their website for updates.
"Bus Éireann is disappointed with this unofficial action and the impact it is having on our customers. Bus Éireann apologises to affected customers for these service cancellations. Our customer care team can be contacted on 01 836 6111 or customercare@buseireann.ie ," said a Bus Éireann spokesperson.
They continued: "Bus Éireann is committed to delivering the highest standards of service to our customers and in this respect, we know that ensuring driver availability for all services across the week is a critical requirement to help us meet our commitments, particularly as demand for our services are growing.
"The Company and Trade Unions were engaged for some time in a review of spare driver working arrangements to ensure we deliver reliable services and these drivers cover annual leave, sickness and other essential duties when there can be difficulties which can interrupt the normal flow of operations."
The spokesperson said spare drivers account for approximately 360 out of a total driver workforce of over 1,800 and how they roster drivers for duty each day is determined by agreed working arrangements, "underpinned by the principles of fairness and equity to all drivers".
"The review of working arrangements has been completed, having been conducted through an extensive process that was jointly agreed between the Company and Trade Unions, which was facilitated by the Workplace Relations Commission and experienced independent facilitators.
"All parties agreed in advance that the determination of the assessors and the outcome of the review would be binding on all parties.
"Following the issuing of the binding report the company is now proceeding with implementation of the report, in full, from today, October 1, 2023. This involves a company-wide implementation of a single set of spare driver working arrangements, which meet the criteria of fairness and equity for all our employees and aligned to a Labour Court Recommendation," concludes the statement.
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