Minister for Transport Shane Ross has said a new forum on transport that will be set up in the autumn will not address industrial relations issues.
Following a meeting with transport unions in the Department of Transport, the minister said the forum will deal with issues concerning the future of public transport. It will include all stakeholders including the department, the unions, private operators and transport consumers.
He said the meeting with the unions today, including the National Bus and Rail Union and SIPTU, was "fruitful and useful, frank and friendly".
Mr Ross added that he could not hear the views of unions during industrial relations disputes earlier this year, but he could now.
He said he believes that today’s discussions removed any legacy bitterness surrounding the strike.
NBRU General Secretary Dermot O'Leary said the meeting was a positive engagement and the forum was welcomed.
However, he said the unions took the opportunity to criticise the role of department officials and their "interference behind the scenes" during the Bus Éireann dispute and other disputes.
He added that they will prosecute disputes and support members if there is a need because of policy changes that lead to industrial relations issues.
SIPTU Divisional Organiser Greg Ennis said the forum is for all stakeholders in public transport and that it will be useful for their members and an opportunity to set out their vision on public transport for the future.
He said they want the public transport service funded properly and the removal of any need for future industrial action.
But, he said, if workers are put in a place again where they are asked to subsidize companies that should be funded properly by Government, they will not be found wanting in supporting those workers.
