Unofficial rail dispute - This strike must not go nationwide

THERE is a long and unhappy history of poor industrial relations at Iarnród Éireann.

No issue seems too petty not to fight over, no agreement is worth the paper it’s written on until its strictures are tested to the very limits of the protagonists’ imaginations.

For a while yesterday this sad situation seemed set to deteriorate with the prospect of the train strike in the south spreading nationwide. If that had happened Dublin’s commuter services, including DART, would have been hit.

The only losers in the whole train saga are those people left high and dry on railway platforms while management and unions indulge in a never-ending power struggle that has little relevance to anyone but themselves.

The unions seem to live in a never-never land of refusing to do work unless they have been “rostered” for it, work they will be paid to do, “rostered” or not.

Management have stepped on a few landmines too, adding to the impression that the agenda at the company has a lot to do with staff and management needs but not enough to do with ensuring a reliable service.

The timing of yesterday’s management diktat, that workers returning from a five-day, unofficial strike sign a commitment that they would do duties other than those they were rostered for, was more Faulty Towers than Harvard Business School. Management, reasonably enough, insist that they need a commitment from workers that there will not be any more unofficial strikes but was yesterday morning the time to seek that written commitment?

It was not and the results are there for everyone to see. Trains idle and more travellers left high and dry.

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey has said yesterday what the great majority of people believe. He said it was unacceptable that an unofficial industrial dispute left thousands of people without a train service for nearly a week. He demanded that Iarnród Éireann and the train drivers begin talks immediately to resolve this unacceptable dispute.

Remember, this entire fiasco is based on the refusal of one man to do what he is paid to do. There are a range of recognised mechanisms for the resolution of disputes and each of these must be exhausted before any industrial action can be taken. The first is the Labour Relations Commission exploratory talks today.

Events of the last six days are especially frustrating as Iarnród Éireann was beginning to enjoy a resurgence in popularity after the introduction of new rolling stock. What a pity the potential of this great investment is jeopardised by belligerent unions and a management which seems unable to secure industrial peace.

The sides in this dispute might take a moment to take stock of their situation. They work for a industry heavily-subsidised by the taxpayers. They have jobs for life and pension prospects that anyone in the private sector can only dream about. They are considerably better off than those who did their jobs even two decades ago. Like it or not they are privileged and with that privilege comes responsibility.

The days of bringing the country’s rail service to a standstill in an unofficial dispute are gone and it’s long past the time that Iarnród Éireann management and unions realised that. In this instance the union response to a minor difficulty is totally disproportionate. It’s time for both sides to behave like professionals.