Future of CIE to dominate SIPTU railway conference

The SIPTU leadership and shop stewards from Iarnród Eireann are due to meet in Limerick today for the biennial conference of the union’s railway services division.

The Government’s future plans for CIE are expected to dominate the agenda at the two-day conference.

SIPTU president Jack O’Connor and CIE chairman John Lynch are among a range of speakers due to address delegates.

British union leader Bob Crow has also been invited over to tell the conference about Britain’s unhappy experience with rail privatisation.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, SIPTU branch secretary Tony Tobin said the Irish Government should avoid making the same mistakes as Britain and should increase investment in the railways rather than consider privatisation.