ILDA to vote on strike reinstatement

Members of the Irish Locomotive Drivers Association, the union which caused rail chaos for 10 weeks last year, will meet later today to discuss the possibility of reinstating their strike action.

The ILDA has mounted a number of stoppages since last year's strike, but it suspended that action in May while the Labour Court investigated the dispute.

The Labour Court has delivered its findings, but the company has not acted on them yet.

ILDA leader Brendan Ogle said this move has angered his members and they will vote today on whether to strike again.

The Labour Court investigated disciplinary proceedings which were taken against eight ILDA members and found that Iarnrod Eireann's appeals procedure is flawed.

The court said the company should provide the suspended ILDA members will proper access to an appeal.

However, a month after those findings were issued, Iarnrod Eireann has still not acted.

Mr Ogle said his members now have two choices: to accept that the company has ignored their case or to reinstate their strike action.

"The reality is our members are very angry," he said, "and this thing needs to be resolved and resolved quickly. If that happens, then we can avoid any further damaging action which is in nobody's interest really."