DUBLIN Bus drivers are planning to ratchet up strike action with 13 more stoppages planned over the coming weeks.
Union sources have said there will be two more industrial action days in September and 11 in October.
The two strike days in September are additional to the already announced stoppages for September 23 and 24, it is understood.
The capital is in the midst of a 48-hour stoppage after bus services ground to a halt at 9pm on Wednesday.
The strike was due to begin at midnight but Dublin Bus ordered its fleet to be back in depots three hours earlier for what it said were health and safety reasons.
It is expected to impact on 400,000 passengers each day and will also hit Friday's hugely popular annual Culture Night across the city.
Union leaders have accused Dublin Bus bosses and government officials of having "gone into hiding" rather than trying to resolve the row over pay.
But Dublin Bus is adamant it is open to negotiations, under the terms of a Labour Court recommendation.
The company said it has accepted the recommendation of a pay increase of 8.25 per cent over three years for all employees across the company.
Trade unions Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union are seeking a 15 per cent pay increase.
