Coalition ‘like hurlers on the ditch’ over rail dispute

Fianna Fáil has attacked the Government over the rail strike, claiming that Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe had been “observing from the sidelines” and that his coalition colleagues acted like “hurlers on the ditch”.

Fri, 23 Oct, 2015 - 01:00

Fiachra Ó Cionnaith

The opposition party’s transport spokesman, Timmy Dooley, made the allegation as he insisted unions “need certainty” and had called on the Government to “intervene” immediately to bring the stand-off to an end.

Despite discussions taking place throughout the week, the October bank holiday will begin with a three-hour rail strike between 6am and 9am this morning, a highly disruptive step linked to calls for a 7.9% pay rise for train drivers.

Speaking in the Dáil during leaders questions, Mr Dooley claimed the Coalition has spent its time in power focusing on increasing productivity instead of looking after the interests of workers, an issue he said has led to frontline views not being heard and ultimately today’s situation.

He said today’s scenes will “cause chaos for travellers” and are a knock-on effect from cutbacks in recent years, claiming there has been “no intervention from Minister Donohoe” and that other cabinet members have acted like “hurlers on the ditch”.

However, despite the claims, Tánaiste and Labour leader, Joan Burton, insisted the only way to resolve the matter is through at times lengthy mediation which cannot be forced as it needs to reach a fair settlement to the “dispute”, adding she has relatives who worked on the trains and is acutely aware of the issues involved.

Meanwhile, the debate also saw angry exchanges between Sinn Féin and Labour over the ongoing health service crisis and revelations over the continuation of the Provisional IRA in the North and a legacy of criminality in the Republic. The opposition party’s health spokesman, Caoimhghín Ó Caoláin, said the fact 7,630 people have been on trolleys this month is an indicator “this crisis is deepening” and directly linked to a long-term failure to keep nurses in the health service.

Ms Burton defended the situation, saying Health Minister Leo Varadkar is taking appropriate action to ensure additional beds are put in place in under-resourced hospitals — with 400 planned by year-end.

Mr Ó Caoláin responded by dismissing the plans. Referencing the response and the IRA controversy, he said: “We’ve heard loads of rubbish here this week, stick to the truth”, to which one Government TD responded: “Mainly from your leader.”