Bus and rail strike threat recedes

THE threat of crippling strike action at CIE receded last night as Transport Minister Séamus Brennan bowed to union pressure.

In a surprising development, Department of Transport secretary general Julie O'Neill wrote to unions yesterday saying that Mr Brennan was prepared to talk to unions about alternatives to plans to privatise 25% of Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann routes.

Before yesterday's letter, SIPTU and the National Bus and Railworkers Union (NBRU) were widely expected to announce a resumption of strike action today. Ms O'Neill's letter said that Mr Brennan remained "firmly of the view that franchising is the most effective way of achieving genuine market entry to new entrants."

However, the letter went on to reassure unions that Mr Brennan remained "open to additional suggestions provided they are directed at achieving the same objective."

While falling short of promises made to Aer Rianta workers, Mr Brennan also reassured CIE workers that he believed his plans to break up the company could be achieved "without undermining terms and conditions of employment and existing employees." The move which comes after a year of refusals from

Mr Brennan to water down his plans will be seen as a significant victory for CIE's unions, which had threatened road and rail strike action if the minister did not respond by today.

NBRU general secretary Liam Tobin responded positively to yesterday's letter.

"I welcome the letter and the fact that the minister has at last agreed to look at other systems as we had always argued," he said.

Mr Tobin indicated that threatened strike action would be put aside pending further talks based on the minister's latest assurances. "The question of strike in advance of discussions on that basis is just out of the question," he said. SIPTU is also expected to respond positively to the department's letter after a meeting of their strike committee today.

Writing in today's Irish Examiner, SIPTU national industrial secretary Michael Halpenny said the principal concern of unions had always been to protect their members' job security and quality of employment as CIE is broken up.

"Such radical proposals are almost certain to have a negative effect on the job security and conditions of employment of existing employees, if experience elsewhere is any indicator," he said.

Mr Brennan is also due to announce renewed talks with Aer Rianta unions early next week over plans to break up the company.

The strike there was called off two weeks ago after Mr Brennan made promises of no compulsory redundancies and job security to staff.

Meanwhile, talks between SIPTU and six train drivers in Westport, who are in dispute with Iarnród Éireann over a €100 a week pay rise, continued last night.

The drivers took unofficial industrial action last week, causing disruption for 2,000 travellers on the Wesport-Dublin rail line. Another one-day stoppage is planned for today.