The unions' deep-rooted lack of trust in the Minister is difficult to overstate, writes Chris Dooley.
Thousands of public transport users will be discommoded today by industrial action that is as needless as it was avoidable.
Even the most articulate representatives of the unions in CIÉ will have a job explaining to the public the purpose of today's action, which will shut down public transport for four hours and cause knock-on disruption of even longer duration.
Everything, after all, is in place for a new talks process between the unions and the Department of Transport to begin. A chairman acceptable to both sides, Mr Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission, has been appointed. Both sides agree that talks should be conducted within a short time frame, meaning a matter of weeks rather than months. All that needs to be done is agree terms of reference and the negotiations can begin.
So why on earth are the two biggest CIÉ unions, SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union, going ahead with today's stoppage from 11 a.m., given the widespread disruption it will cause to bus and rail services and the inevitable condemnation it will attract? There are several reasons, some of them immediate and others of a longer-term nature, but none that is likely to wash with someone left stranded by today's action. The unions' stated justification is the "delay" by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, in getting talks started after the two sides had agreed on January 26th to give negotiations one last go, following several failed attempts. As a reason for shutting down public transport, it does not make sense.
Unions can justifiably accuse Mr Brennan of many things, particularly his inability to maintain a diplomatic silence whenever negotiations are under way, but on this occasion the charge against him does not stand up, and they know it. The Minister is as keen as the unions to get the talks started, and it was he who insisted from the outset that they be conducted within a "tight time frame". There has been no delay on his part.
In reality, his Department had been in touch with the Labour Relations Commission about the possibility of it providing a chairman for the talks, and was awaiting a response last week when the NBRU took everyone - including SIPTU - by surprise when it announced today's action.
When it immediately became clear that the LRC was in fact, about to announce the appointment of Mr Foley as chairman, it was too late for the NBRU to pull back. Having marched its members up the hill more than once, only to call off industrial action in the light of some intervention or other, it was not in a position to march them down again on this occasion.
The union did decide, in light of Mr Foley's appointment, to cancel a full one-day strike called for next Monday, but it said today's stoppage could not be called off. SIPTU's decision to support the stoppage was determined by inter-union politics in CIÉ.
The two unions work quite effectively together and can be expected to share platforms at protests being held in the major urban centres today. But there has also been much jockeying for position between them in recent weeks, as each strives to be seen as "harder" than the other in the eyes of members.
When SIPTU called an "information meeting" last month, which caused minor disruption to Dublin Bus services, it annoyed the NBRU by not informing that union in advance.
The NBRU's unilateral decision last week to take action today might be seen as balancing the books between the two.
It still does not explain why the union is acting at all, at a time when negotiations are about to begin.
The immediate explanation is that the NBRU was not kept fully up to speed with developments before its executive committee met on Thursday.
Unaware of Mr Foley's imminent appointment, it concluded that Minister Brennan was stalling and decided that it had to act.
The longer-term explanation arises from the unions' deep-rooted lack of trust in the Minister, which is difficult to overstate.
Union officials and activists are convinced that Mr Brennan is not committed to the partnership process.
In planning to privatise 25 per cent of existing Dublin Bus services - the main bone of contention between them - they say he is effectively throwing out the conclusions of the National Partnership Transport Forum, a body set up under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, which reported two years ago.
Mr Brennan disagrees, pointing out that the forum, into which unions as well as employers had an input, accepted the principle of increased competition.
All that remains to be agreed, he insists, are the details of how the market should be opened up.
If a formula can be found when both sides finally get talking over the next few weeks, it is likely to focus on the potential for increased involvement by private operators in an expanding Dublin bus market. While unions remain steadfastly against plans to force Dublin Bus to surrender existing services, there is some optimism that a compromise can be found.
If today's action serves any purpose, it may release some tensions in advance and allow the talks to take place in a calm atmosphere.