There are growing signs of a split among CIE train-drivers over the proposed strike which will disrupt the Tour de France on Sunday. The union representing the majority of train drivers, including DART drivers, has indicated it will not support the unofficial action.
The National Locomotive Drivers' Committee, which called the strike, is an unofficial ad-hoc body. DART drivers have indicated they will ignore the summons from the committee and the National Bus and Rail Union has criticised the NLDC for trying to instigate unofficial action.
In a trenchant circular to members, the NBRU's assistant general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin, attacked the NLDC for the role it was playing. He said the NLDC appeared to have called next Sunday's strike simply to bring forward talks, already arranged at the Labour Relations Commission for August 17th, by a couple of weeks.
The decision to call the strike was taken at a meeting of the NLDC in Dublin on Sunday, June 29th, which was attended by only 16 members. At least three members of the NLDC committee, including the chairman, Mr Brendan Ogle, are also members of the official negotiating team which agreed to the August talks timetable at the LRC.
They are also members of the other train drivers' union, SIPTU. Yesterday, Mr Tobin accused "these SIPTU representatives" of "making one decision in the joint negotiating committee and making a totally different one within the unofficial committee". He added: "Each member of the official committee gave a full commitment to our committee as being the only negotiating and decision-making committee for locomotive drivers".
At the NBRU's request, the Labour Relations Commission has invited the official negotiating team to talks tomorrow to discuss the situation. A member of the NLDC committee, Mr Finbarr Masterson, confirmed only 16 members attended the meeting on June 29th but said the committee had a mandate from its members. He defended the decision to urge members not to work on July 12th on the basis that drivers needed to take a stand.
"Back in the 1950s, train-drivers' wages were exactly the same as Garda sergeants'," he said. "Now it's £200 a week less. Our income depends on overtime and now the company is saying we will be working Sundays for nothing extra, all night for nothing extra."