Dublin Bus management and unions are to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission tomorrow in a bid to resolve the pay dispute which has paralysed the capital's bus services for six days.
The WRC has invited all parties to "exploratory talks without preconditions" to see if there is any basis for finding a resolution.
However the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) said any decision about postponing industrial action will only be considered after establishing if Dublin Bus is serious about engaging in comprehensive discussions towards the resolution of the dispute.
General Secretary of the NBRU, Dermot O'Leary, said: "The NBRU focus from the commencement of this dispute has been geared towards getting Dublin Bus to attend at discussions in order to address the fact that its own staff are deserving of a fair and adequate wage rise after eight long years of austerity-enforced pay stagnation and pay cuts."
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SIPTU Transport Division Organiser, Owen Reidy, said: "We understand that the purpose of this initial meeting is to see whether there is the basis for a meaningful negotiation between the parties.
"Any decision as to whether the pending strike action by our members on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week goes ahead, or is cancelled, will be made by the union committee based on the progress, or otherwise, at tomorrow's initial meeting."
"We welcome the WRC's intervention, and look forward to engaging tomorrow without preconditions," Unite Regional Officer Willie Quigley said.
In a statement, Dublin Bus said all parties had been invited to the talks tomorrow.
"Dublin Bus will be attending and will not be making any further comment at this time," the statement added.
The Minister for Transport Shane Ross said: "I am pleased talks are due to take place between both sides at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) and we now need to give the relevant institutions space to formulate an agreement that is fair and workable for both sides."
Hundreds of thousands of commuters in the capital faced disruption again yesterday, as Dublin Bus drivers stage a sixth day of strike action.
A further 13 days of strikes are scheduled - and if they go ahead the total cost to the company will be €21m.
Drivers at Dublin Bus are seeking a pay rise of 15% over the next three years.
The company said it can only afford an 8.25% increase that was recommended by the Labour Court.
Earlier today the Education Minister Richard Bruton said it would be a disaster to give more money to transport companies to solve the industrial disputes at Bus Éireann and Dublin Bus.
Speaking on RTÉ's This Week, he said there would not be more money and that was not the approach a Minister should take.
Speaking on the same show, Fianna Fáil's Robert Troy said the public subvention had to be looked at and he said that if the Expressway was "hived off", some people around the country would be left without a service.
