Rail commuters may face disruption as wage talks collapse

Staff at Iarnród Éireann are to ballot for industrial action after talks with management on a number of issues broke down at the Workplace Relations Commission.

Commuters now face the possibility of disruption to the country’s rail network and on bus services in Dublin within weeks.

The National Bus and Rail Union and Siptu are to ballot members in Iarnród Éireann for strike action following a breakdown in talks with management at the Workplace Relations Commission on Thursday.

The unions claimed management at the State-owned rail company would not engage on the pay and hours issues arising from the independent report commissioned by the Labour Court.

Separately the outcome of a ballot of staff in Dublin Bus on a pay award proposed by the Labour Court will be known on Friday.

However, unions have said they expect members to reject the pay proposal of an increase of approximately 8 per cent over three years.

If the proposal is rejected, the NBRU and Siptu are likely to ask members in Dublin Bus to vote on proposals for industrial action.

The ballot of train staff for strike action will commence next Tuesday and a result will be known on August 16th.

Unions and management at Iarnród Éireann had been scheduled to hold three days of talks at the Workplace Relations Commission this week on the findings of a recent independent report on a number of outstanding issues including pay for past productivity, reduced working hours and mentoring for new Dart drivers.

Management had accused existing staff of blocking training for new Dart drivers. It said unions needed to address this issue which it claimed was damaging its financial position.

Unions accused management of not engaging in the pay and reduced hours issues and of seeking only to concentrate on the driver mentoring issue.

Unions said such mentoring was voluntary.

General secretary of the NBRU Dermot O’Leary and assistant organiser of Siptu’s utilities and construction division Paul Cullen said in a statement:

“It is nothing short of appalling that a semi-State company, tasked with providing a public transport service can flagrantly flout the recognised industrial relations procedures of the State, that a taxpayer funded transport service would treat its own workforce in such a disgraceful manner and expose the travelling public to a potential scenario whereby train services will come under threat is contemptible.”