Mr. Greg Ennis:

Yes, SIPTU agrees with an increased subvention and the review of the free travel pass. On the review of licences, a direct award contract has to run for a period. However, we agree it should be in the mix. On inefficiencies, we rule nothing in and out of negotiations but they will have to start.

On the wider point the Deputy raised about the expectation for the WRC, Workplace Relations Commission, meeting this evening, in this job - I have been in it for 19 years - one becomes an eternal optimist. If one did not, one would not get out of the bed in the morning. While I am optimistic going to the WRC and I welcome the intervention of the LRC, Labour Relations Commission, we also need to be clear that they are exploratory talks. We will not be engaging with the employer directly. We will set out our position.

However, if the company, which may have attended already or be there simultaneously, holds the position that it will implement these cuts from 20 February, it will be a very brief WRC hearing because we will have nowhere to go but back to our members to report and prepare for something that no one wants which is not in the public or the workers' interest. We had to draw a line in the sand but this line has now been passed by the senior management team in Bus Éireann, which is unprecedented.