Commuter chaos - Mass protests must not be repeated

UNION leaders are defending the indefensible in seeking to justify yesterday’s unofficial strike by bus and rail workers which brought public transport to a standstill.

In reality, the unions have scored an own-goal through this ill-judged, counter-productive action which should have been averted.

How pointless the protest was became patently clear last week when the Labour Relations Commission met union demands for a conciliator in their row with the Government over plans to break up CIÉ and privatise some bus routes.