Sir, - John Keenan of Iarnrod Eireann claims that speaking to or recognising the ILDA will lead to further fragmentation of union structures in CIE. He uses the existence of the Busworkers' Action Group in Dublin Bus to justify this position. On RTE radio he even quoted from one of our leaflets supporting the train drivers.
Strange, then, that he seems incapable of understanding our stated position in the same leaflet that we do not wish to set up new unions, but intend to continue as activists and lobbyists within our existing unions.
For the record, talking to the ILDA will not lead to anything other than a resolution of the current rail dispute. It would serve Mr Keenan better to stop wasting taxpayers' money in expensive and misleading newspaper advertisements and instead talk to these train drivers about their grievances.
Our group, like many other CIE workers, support the right of the ILDA to exist, not because we wish to set up new unions but because in a dispute between workers and an entrenched and bullying management, we will always support the workers.
For the benefit of Mr Keenan, this is not "forcing our own agenda" but is called solidarity. - Yours, etc.,
Owen McCormack, Busworkers' Action Group, Derry Drive, Crumlin, Dublin 12.