Rail services will face widespread disruption on Tuesday as signallers strike for more pay. No mainline services will operate without the conventional signalling system. The controversial £40 million Mini-CTC system operates only on the DART line between Howth and Bray, but even this could face serious disruption if the 15 CTC signallers decide to support their 138 colleagues elsewhere.
If the dispute is not resolved, the signallers will have a two-day strike on November 22nd and 23rd and a three-day stoppage from November 29th to December 1st. After that they will consider escalating their action. In the meantime, DART drivers have served strike notice, also over pay, for November 20th.
Strike notice was served on October 27th and there has been no progress in closing the £2,000 to £4,000 pay gap.
SIPTU rail secretary Mr Tony Tobin said his members had basic weekly pay rates of between £224.76 and £235.26. Some members earned more than £30,000 a year by working up to 84 hours per week, but most of them earned between £22,000 and £27,000 on the basis of working a seven-day week of around 60 hours.
Iarnrod Eireann has offered to introduce an annualised hours agreement based on a 48-hour week. Signallers would have to work Sundays and public holidays as ordinary days but would be offered higher basic pay based on new grades.
Grade one signallers are being offered £25,000 but SIPTU is looking for £27,800. Grade two signallers are being offered £22,600 but SIPTU is looking for £26,410. Grade three signallers are being offered £20,900 but the union is seeking £25,089.
The company's human resources manager, Mr John Keenan, accepts basic pay is low and has to be addressed, "but we need to deal with that within realistic parameters".