Rail unions reject claim that ‘increments’ are pay hikes

Irish Rail staff have hit back at claims that increments paid mean they cannot claim to have had no pay increase for the last decade.

Unions are currently preparing to ballot members for strike action as staff seek a 3.75% increase without extra productivity requirements. The company offered 1.5% and also put forward productivity measures.

Siptu condemned, however, what it described as “deeply ill-informed” media reports on the increments.

“It is simply a statement of the truth that our members in Irish Rail have not received a pay rise in the last 10 years,” said Siptu sector organiser Willie Noone.

“During the same period, these workers have seen their allowances cut, staff numbers reduced, and have accepted other earning-suppressing measures.

“Media reports have attempted to present increments received by workers as they progress towards obtaining the full maximum rate for their job as the same thing as pay rises. The fallacy that workers got pay rises during the last decade needs to be debunked. The reality is that approximately 80% of workers in Irish Rail are on the full rate of pay for their role and any movement in increments does not affect them.”

He said that, in an attempt to undermine members, the media had not presented the facts of pay in Irish Rail.

“The days of driving down real earnings for workers are at an end and it is only right that Irish Rail employees should seek to benefit proportionately for their role in maintaining a functioning rail service,” he said.

Siptu organiser Paul Cullen said: “Our members in Irish Rail cannot continue to subsidise the service and accept being treated differently to other workers in the transport sector.