The Labour Court has recommended a combined pay increase of 6.75 percent over two years for Bus Éireann’s 3,200 workers, despite the state transport company reporting losses of €4.2 million in 2024.
The pay dispute reached the Labour Court after workers represented by the NBRU, SIPTU, Unite the Union, TSSA and Connect unions rejected earlier proposals from the Workplace Relations Commission by a margin of 64 percent to 36 percent.
The unions had argued that the original offer of a 3 percent annual pay increase was insufficient to meet their expectations. They sought pay parity with Dublin Bus, which they calculated would require an increase of 12.7 percent, and demanded wage levels comparable with other CIE group companies.
Bus Éireann maintained that its pay proposal represented “the very limit of what can be offered” given the company’s financial constraints. The transport operator told the Labour Court it had made a loss of €4.2 million last year and was projecting similar losses for 2025.
The company argued that its offer was reasonable within the marketplace context and emphasized that the proposal included improvements to terms and conditions valued at 1 percent of pay annually, with some worker groups benefiting from additional changes.
Deputy chairwoman Louise O’Reilly announced the Labour Court’s recommendation, which includes a 3.5 percent pay increase and a €500 voucher effective from January 1, 2025. A further 3.25 percent increase will take effect from January 1, 2026, with the €500 voucher payable to employees who were on the payroll at the start of 2025 and remain employed when the recommendation is accepted.
The pay agreement will expire on December 31, 2026, with both parties committed to beginning negotiations for a successor deal no later than four months before the current agreement ends.
The Labour Court’s intervention resolves a dispute that highlighted the tension between worker demands for competitive wages and the financial pressures facing the state-owned transport company. The recommended increases represent a compromise between union aspirations for pay parity and the company’s stated affordability limits.