Luas staff begin work-to-rule ahead of strike

There has been no noticeable disruption to Luas services this weekend following the introduction of a work-to-rule and an overtime ban ahead of strikes next week.

Staff at Luas are taking the action as part of the first phase of their campaign of industrial action for pay increases of up to 53 per cent.

A spokeswoman for the company said on Sunday services were running as normal on, with no significant reports of delays or absenteeism by staff “so far”. She said at the moment, the company did not expect services to be disrupted on Monday.

On Thursday the 11th and Friday the 12th, Luas workers are set to stage a 48-hour strike, a move which will affect up to 90,000 people per day.

A further two-day strike is scheduled to take place on Thursday 18th and Friday 19th February.

The operator of the Luas system, Transdev, has told staff that the commencement of any industrial action, including the work-to-rule and overtime ban, will lead to staff losing out on annual bonus payments of between €2,500 and €3,000.

Talks at the Workplace Relations Commission last month failed to break the deadlock between the staff, who are represented by the trade union Siptu, and management.

Luas management said last month staff were seeking pay increases of between 8.5 per cent and 53 per cent. It said this would cost the company €30 million.

Siptu has argued staff have to date only been offered increases in line with inflation, which is currently close to zero.

At a meeting with the union in January Nigel Stevens, chief executive for UK and Ireland of Transdev, said he believed the existing pay, terms and conditions of employees were generous.

He said the dispute was “difficult to resolve because of the magnitude of the claims being made by Siptu”.

However Siptu said any resolution “will necessitate movement by the company on the crucial issue of workers’ pay”.

“In talks over the last 18 months, Transdev has failed to offer an increase in pay for the next five years to Luas workers.

“The company position in talks in all forums has been that it will only offer pay increases in line with the consumer price index (CPI). The CPI is currently, and has been for some time, a negative figure,” it said.