Today's national four hour stoppage of bus and rail workers, which will disrupt thousands of commuters and businesses throughout the State, has been organised in protest against alleged delays in getting talks started between the Department of Transport and trade unions about the future of public transport.
It is going ahead despite the appointment of Mr Kevin Foley from the Labour Relations Commission to chair them when they begin tomorrow.
In that light it is not difficult to agree with the LRC chairman, Mr Kieran Mulvey, and the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, who say there is no need for the disruption and have urged the two unions concerned, the NBRU and SIPTU, to call off today's action. They refused, but have modified plans for further protests. They say the protest is aimed at Mr Brennan to express the frustration and anger of their members. This may well be true, but it cannot be squared with the stated purpose of the action. Clearly there are strong feelings involved at the rank and file level, to which union leaderships have been obliged to respond. But such incoherent objectives and disruptive tactics may endanger genuine public sympathy for a workforce squeezed by low investment and, in Dublin, by seemingly endless traffic delays.
Those with experience of industrial relations recognise that trust between the Minister and the unions involved has broken down after prolonged arguments about his plans to introduce more competition on Dublin and national bus routes. He denies union claims that he wants to privatise some routes and break up Coras Iompair Éireann. But he insists these markets must be opened up in line with policy and practice in the European Union.
From the unions' point of view such public rhetoric is deeply unsettling. They say Mr Brennan has failed to explain his policy in direct talks with them and has produced no convincing business plans for any of the services concerned. They fear a loss of jobs and reduced services to the public if any of the routes are privatised and have not been convinced by the Minister's undertakings to maintain existing employment levels. Mr Brennan's references to the fate of taxi-drivers, who were deregulated by a combination of ministerial action and court proceedings, has also alarmed them. They are afraid he will not apply social partnership norms in negotiating change.
The talks starting tomorrow will present the opportunity to tackle these issues directly. Mr Brennan has much ground to make up in convincing the unions he has the best interests of the transport sector at heart in seeking these changes. That will be more convincing if he can bring extra public resources to bear. The unions regard the talks as a defining moment for the future of public transport. They must show they are willing to embrace change once acceptable conditions are agreed.