Drivers consider joining strike ACTION

The Australian Manufacturing Workers Union (AMWU) is imposing overtime bans for workshop staff, affecting re-fuelling and maintenance of buses.

That has forced ACTION to limit and cancel weekend services in recent weeks.

Over the Easter long weekend there will be no ACTION bus services on Good Friday, Easter Sunday or the Anzac Day public holiday on Tuesday.

A restricted Sunday timetable will also be in place on Saturday and Monday.

Free chartered bus services will still run to the Anzac Day dawn service from each major bus station.

Klaus Pinkas from the Transport Workers Union - which represents bus drivers - says drivers support their workshop colleagues.

He says they are now considering possible industrial action of their own because talks on pay and conditions have stalled.

"Industrial action is not good for a) the people who are taking it and b) the travelling public," he said.

"It does affect services and sometimes you've got to take industrial action to get the message across that you want a decent offer from the government ... and any offer would be good at the moment.

"Drivers and workshop staff will be out of pocket by this industrial action. But it's something that we can live with if we can get a result out of."

ACTION has apologised for the cancellation of bus services over the long weekend.

Director James Roncon says they were left with no alternative.

"Unfortunately ACTION has been forced into the decision it has had to make around restricting services across the Easter weekend. It's not a decision that has been taken lightly and it's one we do pain over," he said.

Mr Roncon says the ongoing industrial dispute is disappointing.

"ACTION actually is a seven day a week, 21 hour a day business but unfortunately it's only recognised through the industrial agreement as a five day a week business," he said.

"That is clear concern because what we rely on on weekends ordinarily are the goodwill of our staff to volunteer their labour. That's clearly not sustainable and that's part of the problem here."

The ACT Government has written to the TWU and AMWU asking them to agree to independent arbitration to resolve the dispute.

AMWU has already rejected the idea, saying conciliation should be the next step.