Rail workers want pay hike

Unions at Irish Rail have warned a failure by management to offer a sufficient pay rise without pre-conditions today will trigger a ballot for strike action.

Sources close to the talks at the Workplace Relations Commission have said that the likelihood of a pay offer sufficient to avert crippling stoppages is remote.

The expectation is that any offer will have to be in excess of 2.5% annually for unions to even consider putting it to members. The unions have been pushing hard for 3.75% annually, on a par with the amounts given to Dublin Bus and Luas workers last year on the back of strike action.

Unions have claimed that, in the talks so far, the company has sought to link any increases to productivity measures.

National Bus and Rail Union general secretary Dermot O’Leary said any such measures would have to be discussed in a separate process after the straight pay increase had been agreed.

He said it was an unacceptable position for a company with revenue and passenger numbers in excess of Celtic Tiger levels to be asking its staff to pay through their own pay rises through productivity, especially at a time when the economy is buoyant and when his members have not had a pay increase in almost 10 years.

Siptu divisional organiser Greg Ennis said: “Siptu members do not wish to see a similar shut down of the rail network which would include Dart services.

“However, our almost 2,000 members in Irish Rail will use all the leverage at their disposal in their pursuit of a legitimate pay claim which follows almost ten-years of a pay freeze.”

An Irish Rail spokesman said it had been open and clear with its employees and trade unions on its financial position “which remains extremely challenging, with insolvency looming if we make further losses”.

“We hope we can reach agreement which can yield improved earnings through generating efficiencies, as we work towards a sustainable future for Iarnród Éireann, for the good of our customers and our employees,” he said.