Shane Ross urged to intervene to stop rail strike

The two largest driver unions at Irish Rail have said it is within the gift of Transport Minister Shane Ross to intervene and stave off strike action which could cripple services by the October bank holiday weekend.

Talks on pay increases for staff broke down at the Workplace Relations Commission late on Wednesday night when the company put forward a 1.5% pay increase accompanied by productivity requirements.

The unions had been demanding 3.75% without precondition, similar to others in the transport sector, though it is believed they may have considered balloting their members on any increase over 2.5% if, again, it was not accompanied with productivity terms.