Proposals could end bus strike

Buses and passengers were absent from Belfast city centre on Friday

Talks between management and unions aimed at ending the strike by Citybus drivers in Belfast have ended.

Union officials will put a number of proposals to their members at four depots in the city on Friday.

The dispute concerns the issue of financial support for staff who have been assaulted or threatened.

Drivers on Ulsterbus routes along the Falls and Lisburn Roads joined the dispute on Friday which disrupted services to the Twinbrook and Poleglass estates on the outskirts of the city.

We are waiting for our members to make a final decision about the resumption of services

Ken Bradley

Ken Bradley of the Transport and General Workers Union said some progress had been made.

"We are waiting for our members to make a final decision about the resumption of services," he said.

"We are hoping for the best, we have got further on the assault pay and there has been movement from management but it has not been completely resolved."

It is hoped that the drivers could return to work on Saturday following the unofficial action which began on Thursday.

Earlier on Friday, drivers rejected proposals from Translink, the company that operates Citybus, to bring the dispute to an end.

Ciaran Rogan: Confident issues can be sorted out

Driver Sean Smith, who has been attacked five times in the past 18 months, said his colleagues were angry at the way the company was treating men like him.

"As part of my rehabilitation I had to go and see a counsellor about getting treated for stress and trauma.

"I was to go to the counsellor on 4 December at 10.30 in the morning. I needed off my bus for one hour to go and the company's response was 'we're paying for your treatment so you can go in your own time."

Union leaders said that despite major inconvenience during one of the busiest shopping periods in the year, the public had been largely supportive.

Walkout

Shop steward Craig Potts said: "We hope they understand that the drivers are very angry over certain issues within the company.

"We are trying our hardest as a trade union to get this action finalised, to get the buses running again and to get the shoppers in to do their new year's shopping."

Drivers staged a walkout on Thursday, saying they were unhappy with the way Translink had handled recent attacks on staff and their vehicles.

Ciaran Rogan of Translink, the company that runs Citybus, said it was in everyone's interest that the strike was ended as quickly as possible.

Bus services in some parts of the city were rerouted earlier this month after two drivers were robbed at knife point.