Outrage at Luas sick-pay decision

Siptu has described moves by Transdev to suspend a sick pay benefits scheme as “outrageous” and claimed the company is attempting to ratchet up a continuing industrial dispute with staff.

The Luas management company had notified the union of the development late on Friday.

Managing director of Transdev, Gerry Madden, had warned the absence rate for drivers is running at approximately 12%, which compares to an absence figure of 4.5% for 2015.

In a letter delivered to Siptu, he said: “This level of absence is imposing significant additional costs on the company and is highly disruptive to our customers.”

He pointed out a collective agreement permitted the firm to suspend individuals from the scheme if the level of absence rises above 4%.

“The company is suspending all individual drivers from the regular sick pay benefit scheme and will not be processing any regular sick pay payments in the May payroll and thereafter, pending a return to normal absence levels,” he said.

The suspension of the sick pay scheme, Mr Madden had said, will not apply to situations where any member of staff is suffering from “a critical illness as normally defined by the medical profession and as may be determined by the company doctor. We regret having to take this course of action but the current absence levels are clearly untenable by any objective standard.”

Owen Reidy of Siptu criticised the move and said the agreement stated Transdev must meet with the union to discuss the issue once absence levels rise above 3%. He was also critical of the blanket imposition of the suspension and said that agreement permitted Transdev to suspend individuals from the scheme.

“It’s not the action of an employer in the middle of an industrial dispute who is interested in settling the dispute, it is the action of an employer who seems intent on ratcheting up the dispute and that is unfortunate and regretful,” Mr Reidy told RTÉ Radio 1.

Asked if the development could lead to an indefinite strike by Luas drivers, Mr Reidy said Siptu would not give a “kneejerk” reaction to Transdev’s action.