As reported in the Journal there were just five industrial disputes in the first six months of the year, but the Bus Eireann strikes meant that there was over 3,600 days lost by striking workers. Officially, figures from the Central Statistics Office count 2,390 staff as being involved in the dispute, losing a collective 3,386 working days.
That is less than half the number of days lost in the first half of last year, when Bord na Móna workers went on strike twice in June. That accounted for 6,114 of 7,900 days lost in the first half of 2012.
There were 112 staff involved at two industrial disputes at the Shanganagh waste water treatment plant and the Roadstone Wood quarry in Fortunestown, both in Dublin.
In Roadstone, 100 staff lost 83 days, while 12 staff lost 26 days in Shanganagh.
Six staff lost five days in Kells Credit Union.
Although the figures put the country on course to avoid a rise on last year’s 8,486 days lost, they do not count last month’s Dublin Bus strike, which saw nearly 3,000 staff strike for three days.
