Irish Rail to face down train drivers if strike goes ahead

IRISH RAIL is prepared to face down ATGWU train drivers if they go ahead with a planned series of one-day stoppages in a row over their claim to be recognised by the company.

Balloting on the stoppages begins today in ATGWU’s 3/57 branch, formerly the Irish Locomotive Drivers’ Association (ILDA), and are due to take effect on December 15, causing rail chaos in the pre-Christmas period.

The action coincides with the introduction of a major expansion of commuter and inter-city rail services, announced last Friday by Transport Minister Séamus Brennan.

Attempts by the branch, run by Brendan Ogle, to be consulted on the new timetable were ignored by the company because ATGWU does not have recognition for train drivers within Iarnród Éireann (IÉ).

Mr Ogle, who led the massive rail disruption in 2000, has warned: “our members cannot allow the lack of representation to continue.”

His branch consults with legal advisers today with a view to legal action to ensure his members are included in future negotiations with the company.

Mr Ogle’s branch represents about 100 drivers of the 447 employed by the company. ILDA was set up to represent former locomotive drivers who gave up their membership of SIPTU, which represents the majority of train drivers and is recognised by the firm.

At the weekend, the company said it was prepared to use “whatever avenues are necessary, including immediate litigation,” if train services are affected.

“We cannot sustain a situation where this group is sniping at our services and will potentially damage our services in the context where we have just announced expanded services on foot of government investment,” said IÉ human resources manager John Keenan.

He added: “We cannot have a situation where any group of workers gathers in this way and act outside the rule of law and outside the structures within our industrial relations system which is designed to bring stability.

“This clearly is a group which has destabilised the industrial relations scene in Iarnród Éireann over quite a period of time with a severe impact on our customers, and that is our primary concern. We cannot sustain that.”

Mr Keenan said it was up to the trade union movement to get their own house in order and sort what was an internal union matter.

Hinting at a possible lock-out, he added: “we simply cannot tolerate a situation where they withdraw services today and come back and work the next day and then do it again in pursuit of this desire they have for recognition.”

On the other hand, said Mr Keenan, a number of workers associated with this group appeared to want to be heard and he believed it was the responsibility of the trade unions in the first instance to listen to all these workers.

“The company had no desire to get into a situation where it was slamming the door on people and being characterised as people who did not want to listen. The first and primary source of the problem lay within the trade unions,” said Mr Keenan.

ATGWU national secretary John Bolger has declined to say if he would sanction any industrial action, but added all the consequences of such an action would have to be weighed up.