Siptu officials to meet Luas staff to discuss dispute strategy

A meeting is to take place on Tuesday afternoon between Siptu officials and representatives of Luas staff to look at future strategy in the current dispute.

Talks aimed at resolving the row at the Dublin light rail system were called off by the Workplace Relations Commission last Friday.

It maintained an atmosphere did not exist that was conducive to an intervention.

The company argued that staff were taking excessive levels of toilet breaks to further their industrial relations campaign.

Luas operator, Transdev contended that this action was causing delays to tram services and constituted unlawful, unofficial industrial action.

The allegations were strongly denied by Luas driver representatives. Further strike action at Luas is scheduled for March 8th and March 17th, St Patrick’s Day.

Luas drivers have insisted that they have not been engaging in any form of unlawful or unofficial industrial action.

They have also accused management Luas operator, Transdev, of making scurrilous allegations regarding toilet breaks being taken by staff in a bid to collapse a talks process aimed at resolving the current dispute affecting the Dublin light rail system.

Last Friday the Workplace Relations Commission decided not to go ahead with planned conciliation talks as a row over toilet breaks by drivers, which the company considers to be unofficial industrial action, continued.

It is understood the Workplace Relations Commission told the parties it did not believe the atmosphere was conducive now to an intervention.

Transdev believes that excessive levels of toilet breaks are being sought by staff to further their industrial action campaign and that this falls outside the scope of the work-to-rule which was notified to it.

The company said that on Thursday, the day the Workplace Relations Commission had invited the parties to the planned talks, 12 toilet breaks had been taken by drivers. It said three breaks had been requested within a one-hour period.

The company maintained that before the current industrial action commenced 22 toilet breaks had been taken in total from the beginning of January to February 5th.

However in a letter sent to management the Luas driver representatives said there were unprecedented and disruptions to Luas services “due to the lack of goodwill” by staff.

They said under a work -to-rule which was currently in place staff were adhering to rostered breaks and had withdrawn goodwill.

The driver representatives maintained that prior to the dispute commencing Luas services ran to timetable on 99 percent of occasions. They said that personal needs breaks ot toilet breaks “ went largely unreported as they did not impact on timetable”.

“Due to the unprecedented delays, majority of personal needs breaks requested now impact on timetable due to late running, so must now be reported.”

“The level ofpersonal needs breaks pre-dispute and now remain consistent. The only difference is the amount that must now be reported due to existing unprecedented delays.”

The driver representatives maintained that the company only had details of the number of toilet breaks recorded, not the number actualkly taken.

“Drivers reserve the right to avail of a personal needs break whenever necessary and do not accept any attempt by the company to penalise drivers for doing so. This is a basic human right and is in no way being orchestrated nor to be misconstrued by Transdev as unofficial industrial action.”

“Driver grade are not engaged in any form of unofficial industrial action. Siptu served Transdev with notice of a work-to-rule commencing February 6th 2016. As a consequence of this action, disruptions and delays to Luas services have reached unprecedented levels, which in turn has impacted upon service delivery almost eliminating the opportunity for drivers to take a personal needs break at end of line without impacting further on services. Transdev are acutely aware that the rise in ‘reported personal needs breaks’ is as a direct consequence of these persistent and extended delays.

Luas stakeholders must make informed decisions as to why Transdev have chosen to misrepresent the P personal needs breaks issue to the media and the Workplace Relations Commission. Unsubstantiated allegations and charges will be vehemently refuted and defended by Luas staff.”