Bus Eireann says it has told unions at the company that it now plans to implement a cost-cutting plan.
The company said its move came after talks with SIPTU and the NBRU concluded today without agreement on the plan.
Bus Eireann said that it was currently losing more than €500,000 a week due to the economic downturn which has seen its passenger numbers fall by 10%. The company said it had 'no choice but to take action to address these losses as quickly as possible in order to protect as many services and jobs as possible'.
The plan involves changes to workers' terms and conditions and cuts in some services. Bus Eireann says the changes to terms and conditions will come into effect on Monday June 29, while changes to services will be phased in from July 5.
'The majority of these changes will involve either reductions in the frequency of a service or a change in its route,' a statement said. But it added that some services would be withdrawn.
