Unions: Rail row could escalate

With less than 48 hours to go before train services are ground to a halt by another national three-hour stoppage by drivers, unions are already warning that their action could be escalated further within days.

There has been no formal contact between Irish Rail management and the two driver unions, the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) and Siptu, since talks at the Workplace Relations Commission broke down just under two week ago.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said that if Friday’s action goes ahead, he will be seeking a meeting with his colleagues in Siptu early next week to consider their next move. He said all forms of industrial action would be up for consideration. Friday’s action will see no trains departing from 6am-9am.

The row is over productivity. NBRU and Siptu want financial recognition for past productivity. In the face of €1.5 million per month in losses, management is only willing to engage on existing productivity measures.

It said before talks broke down a proposal was on the table that would mean a 7.9% pay increase for drivers over three years. Unions described that as “manifestly untrue”.