Union warns of ‘summer of discontent’ on rail network

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has warned of a potential “summer of discontent” across the country’s rail network if Iarnród Éireann refuses to engage on pay increases for staff.

The move came as the State-owned rail company signalled it was postponing the introduction of a higher-frequency Dart service in Dublin, which it said would cost it €1.4 million and force it to seek cost saving measures elsewhere.

The company wanted to put in place a 10-minute Dart service from April 10th. However, it blamed union “intransigence” for its inability to introduce the new initiative.

Earlier this month the NBRU tabled a 25 per cent pay claim for workers in Iarnród Éireann. The company rejected the claim which was lodged in the wake of news of proposed pay increases of up to 18 per cent for Luas drivers.

Temporary pay cuts of between 1.6 per cent and 6 per cent are scheduled to continue for staff at Iarnród Éireann until next autumn. The NBRU and Siptu pulled out of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission on the plans to introduce the 10-minute Dart service.

The unions warned of strike action if the company moved to introduce the service without agreement. On Tuesday the board of Iarnród Éireann decided to postpone the plan.

Peak levels

On Wednesday the general secretary of the NBRU Dermot O’Leary said it was “neither sustainable nor tenable” for the rail company to refuse to engage in talks on pay rises when passenger numbers and revenue were heading back to peak levels.

He said in a letter to the company that in the absence of dialogue on pay, the union would have no choice but to ballot for industrial action.

Siptu denied its members were responsible for the cancellation of the proposed 10-minute service and said the “the reality is there are currently not enough drivers or train units to operate it”.

“This assertion is without any basis in fact. In reality, the introduction of a 10-minute Dart service is an integral part of discussions between the company and trade unions concerning productivity,” organiser Paul Cullen. “To run such a service requires at least an additional 20 drivers and these workers will not be in place until June.”

In a letter to the unions on Tuesday, Iarnród Éireann said the company remained in an extremely difficult financial position from which it would only emerge by growing its business in line with demand and by meeting passengers’ expectations.

It said Iarnród Éireann was continuing to borrow to pay its bills and staff wages.

The company argued that the unions’ opposition to the ten-minute DART service would further damage its financial position.

“In 2016 we had an assumed income of €1.4 million from this initiative. We will now seek further cost savings to compensate for this lost opportunity.”