Enda Kenny has again insisted that talks between employers and unions are the only way to avoid issues at Bus Eireann.

He's again refusing to intervene in the industrial dispute over the future of the Expressway service.

It's after Sinn Féin said workers were not to blame for the current crisis, and shouldn't be punished for it.

Last night the Dail began debating calls from Fianna Fail, for the government to intervene in the dispute and increase its funding for the bus operator.

But transport minister Shane Ross said he wouldn't wade into the row - because it would undermine the industrial relations legacy of Sean Lemass.

Unions are meeting tomorrow afternoon to discuss a path forward, with strikes expected from all three unions involved (SIPTU, the NRBU and Unite) later this month.

Our political correspondent Gavan Reilly reports: