The Public Transport Union - the newly set up house union of Arriva workers - has denied a claim by the GWU that a number of workers have rejoined it after having defected to the PTU.

In a statement replying to GWU claims, the PTU also denied that its officials had ever promised that they would achieve a 60% pay rise to PTU members.

The PTU said it was set up because the Arriva workers were frustrated that the GWU was not working hard enough in talks with Arriva to achieve better compensation for them, along with better health and safety. 

They said they had engaged Dr Robert Abela to help them and he had not urged them to set up a house union. The decision to set up a house union was only taken when they efforts to bring the GWU to work harder on the workers' behalf did not bear results.

The PTU complained that the GWU was continuing to make use of its former members' personal data to send them literature urging them to return to its ranks.

Private data was also being used to encourage non-union workers to join the GWU. 

The union said it was calling on the Director of Industrial Relations and the Data Protection Commissioner to stop this abuse.