The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) is to attend exploratory talks over the looming Bus Éireann strike.

Workers at the company belonging to SIPTU are set to engage in an all-out strike from Monday February 20th.

The strike has been timed to coincide with the date the company reportedly plans to introduce unilateral cuts to workers' terms and conditions of employment.

While SIPTU members in Dublin Bus and Irish Rail have also pledged to display "solidarity" with their colleagues in Bus Éireann.

The talks are to take place at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

NBRU General-Secretary Dermot O'Leary said: "Whilst remaining implacable imposed to draconian unilateral cuts to terms and conditions threatened by Bus Éireann from the 20th February we are, in deference to the WRC, prepared to engage separately with the commission to establish if there is a basis towards achieving a resolution to this crisis.

"We remain firmly wedded to the view that any resolution can only be achieved if there is buy in from all stakeholders.

But he added: "The stated position of the company to date, along with the Pontius Pilate attitude of the shareholder make any potential solution extremely difficult, therefore it would be remiss of the NBRU not to alert people to the fact that the all-out strike planned for Monday 20th February is likely to proceed."