The Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association is holding a referendum to ascertain if its members would prefer to be in a 26-county or 32-county organisation. This does not so much reflect the sort of two-nations split which has afflicted so many other public bodies as the harsh realities of the law. Last week the ILDA lost its High Court action to win recognition as a CIE trade union partly because the ILDA constitution declares it to be an all-Ireland body. The majority to adopt a partitionist stance is expected to be even larger than the electoral mandate for the Belfast Agreement, but two-thirds is sufficient. The result is due at the annual conference, appropriately enough, tomorrow and May Day. With only 119 members, Ireland's youngest, and smallest trade union is having a hard time of it. ILDA did attempt to find a home in IMPACT after hearing that the State's largest public service union had taken in the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association. The recruitment of train drivers, it argued, would allow IMPACT to control the higher spheres of the transport industry. Unfortunately, IMPACT thought otherwise, and ILDA itself now seems to be taking a less ecumenical approach to drivers, be it of planes or trains. It is understood to have withdrawn an invitation for DART drivers to attend its conference as observers. Apparently it feels that a conflict of interests could arise between its mainline drivers and DART drivers. It regards the latter as being at the low-tech end of the industry.
Quidnunc is at rholohan@irish-times.ie