SIPTU has announced two days of strike action at private bus operator Go-Ahead Ireland in a dispute over pay.
Members will stage 24-hour work stoppages on 1 and 8 March with pickets being placed at the company's depots in Ballymount, Dublin and Naas, Co Kildare.
SIPTU has accused Go-Ahead of refusing to engage, through agreed processes, in talks concerning an increase in pay to take account of the impact of the cost-of-living crisis.
"SIPTU representatives conducted a ballot for industrial action of our members employed by Go-Ahead Ireland on 20 December," said the union's sector organiser, John Murphy.
"In the ballot, an overwhelming majority voted for industrial action if management continued to refuse to engage on the issue of pay," Mr Murphy said.
SIPTU says that following this vote, management did agree to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) but would not engage on the pay issue separately to other matters.
"We then referred the dispute to the Labour Court, which the company is now refusing to attend," Mr Murphy said.
SIPTU says that a current collective agreement takes no account of significant cost-of-living increases and that it remains available to engage in constructive negotiations with management.
In a statement, Go-Ahead Ireland said it is aware of the proposed stoppages.
"The company has engaged with the union via the appropriate channels and has confirmed in writing to the Workplace Relations Commission and SIPTU as recently as the 3 February that it is willing to jointly refer any of the union's claims to the Labour Court to seek a resolution," the company said.
"While we understand this is an ongoing process, we remain committed to positive and proactive engagement with all stakeholders," Go-Ahead added.
