Rail action will ‘damage economy, exporters’

Proposed industrial action on the country’s rail network will damage the economy, stunt recent freight growth and cause exporters to question the viability of rail, according to the head of the Irish Exporters Association.

Work stoppages planned for Sunday, September 7, and Sunday, September 21, will coincide with the Al-Ireland finals.

IEA chief executive Simon McKeever has called on Siptu and the National Bus and Rail Union to call off the proposed action this Sunday and Monday.

“We urge the unions to reconsider withdrawing their labour,” said Mr McKeever. “Not only is rail freight under threat by this planned industrial action, the consequences to the export economy are potentially significant.

“An unofficial strike in 2000 caused a number of customers to abandon rail freight altogether. Should an official work stoppage take place, the damage to the economy would be considerable.”

He added that any action would be unwelcome amid continuing efforts to increase rail freight volumes which have yielded growth of 4% in 2013.

The sector is an area of “significant growth” for Iarnróid Éireann — which is a member of IEA — according to Mr McKeever, who warned that industrial action could damage this progression and cause exporters to question the viability of the rail network.

The proposed strike would also be a “pretty massive disruption” to those working in the export sector who travel by rail to do business across the country.

Export, he said, is not just about freight but also the services industry, which last year accounted for more than 50% of exports.

Meanwhile, an information page has been included on the National Transport Authority’s website to help those planning journeys on the strike days.

The NTA has confirmed that all Bus Éireann, Dublin Bus, and Luas services are scheduled to operate as normal during the work stoppages this weekend and next month.

The NTA has contacted private bus operators who run bus services that may offer options for affected rail passengers.

Around 20 bus operators have indicated that they will provide extra capacity and full details are available on the authority’s website – www.transportforireland.ie.

There are still no signs of a resolution of the Irish Rail dispute.

Workers are due to work to rule on Sunday when Mayo take on Kerry in the All-Ireland semi-final in Croke Park, with a 24-hour work stoppage planned for the following day.

Siptu organiser Paul Cullen said no approaches had been made in relation to altering plans for the work stoppages.

“Our view is quite simple — we cannot go into discussions until such time as management withdraw their threat to cut pay from Sunday,” he said.