WRC to decide on fresh talks over Luas dispute

The Workplace Relations Commission is expected, within the next 24 hours, to tell sides in the Luas dispute whether it thinks there are sufficient grounds to bring them back in for formal talks on how to end the dispute.

WRC director general Kieran Mulvey and his colleagues yesterday held informal, separate discussions with the management of Luas operators Transdev and staff representative union Siptu.

Sources told the Irish Examiner there is likely to have been enough room for negotiation shown to mean the WRC may call both sides back in. Management has indicated it would consider pay increases of up to 3%, with productivity measures as a starting point for negotiation. Workers want 8%-53% hikes.

Going into yesterday’s informal discussions, Transdev managing director Gerry Madden told reporters: “We would look at 1%-3%, with productivity enhancements as a reasonable starting point. I think the key word there is reasonable. If Siptu comes here and says ‘we have reasonably modified our claim by 50% by 70% or even 80% that would still take them way beyond industry norms.

“I hope they are using this time to come here with a reasonable, sensible claim we can talk about, but they come in at a place that is well beyond industry norm. We are still back where we were at the beginning and we can’t expect the third party to just magic something out of the air.”

After his meeting with Mr Mulvey, Siptu organiser Owen Reidy said his members in four divisions of the Luas operation had outlined their position and he was awaiting the decision from Mr Mulvey on whether there was a basis for further talks.

With four days of strikes already having taken place, there is the threat of more on March 8 and 17.