Luas drivers warned of 10% pay cuts if strike action continues

Luas drivers have been warned they are facing a 10 per cent pay from the end of April if they continue with industrial action.

Management at Luas operator Transdev said the unilateral pay cut would come into effect from April 29th if drivers did not lift an ongoing work-to-rule which has been in place as part of their campaign for improved terms and conditions.

Transdev has also written to the trade union Siptu, which represents Luas drivers, asking it to re-engage in talks aimed at finding a resolution to the lenghty dispute.

Luas drivers are due to stage a further one-day strike on Thursday, a move which will disrupt the travel plans of up to 90,000 people.

Siptu said on Tuesday night the move by Transdev to impose unilateral pay cuts on drivers was “provocative and unprecedented”.

Siptu officials are expected to hold talks with Luas driver representatives on Wednesday to determine their reaction tothe moves by management.

Talks on Monday aimed at resolving the dispute at Luas ended without agreement.

Transdev said Luas drivers had sought increases of 26.5 per cent without offering to provide any additional productivity.

Ballot

Meanwhile, staff at Iarnród Éireann, who are members of the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU), are to ballot for industrial action over pay.

NBRU general secretary Dermot O'Leary said the union was seeking a mandate for industrial action because of a refusal by the State-owned rail company to attend hearings at the Workplace Relations Commission in relation to pay and other issues.

The NBRU has indicated that it would be seeking increases of about 25 per cent for workers in Iarnród Éireann.

It is understood that any industrial action would likely involve work stoppages of short duration, running to a number of hours.

Siptu, which also represents staff at the company, said it had convened an urgent meeting of its national rail committee for Thursday to discuss the possibility of a ballot for strike action for all grades ofstaff in Iarnród Éireann given the refusal of management to engage meaningfully.

Iarnród Éireann said rather than planning ballots for industrial action, the NBRU should focus its efforts on engaging with all existing processes to ensure the company could deliver a better service to its customers, restore financial stability and meet the aspiration for increased earnings amongst employees.

Credibility gap

The company said there was a “credibility gap in the NBRU’s stated reason for conducting a ballot for industrial action.

“The NBRU claims to wish to engage on a range of issues, but has itself undertaken a series of walk-outs, unofficial actions and refusals to engage with the company. “

“In recent weeks, the NBRU has:

*walked out of ongoing discussions at the Workplace Relations Commission on the implementation of a 10-minute frequency Dart schedule

* refused on Monday evening to attend a meeting directly with Iarnród Éireann management this week to discuss issues surrounding Dart drivers.

*orchestrated unofficial action to prevent the in-cab familiarisation phase of training for new Dart drivers.”

Mr O’Leary said that, at the end of March, the NBRU had referred a number of issues to the Workplace Relations Commission – including claims for a pay rise, the ending of pay cuts currently in place and in relation to the company’s plans for a higher-frequency Dart service in Dublin.

"The company response has been shameful in demonising staff and threatening them with High Court proceedings rather than addressing the issues through normal industrial relations processes."

Earlier this month, Iarnród Éireann indicated it would take High Court action against the NBRU and Siptu over what it alleged was unofficial industrial action by Dart drivers.

It maintained Dart drivers had engaged in co-ordinated action in refusing to train new recruits.

This claim was strongly rejected by the NBRU.

Meanwhile Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune said on Tuesday that train strikes were "not helpful" at a time when Irish officials in Brussels were fighting off EU attempts to open up EU rail markets to open tender.

She said the outcome of recent talks at EU level had paved the way for Iarnród Éireann to continue to provide railway services in Ireland subject to performance indicators.

"I would also call on Iarnród Éireann unions and management at to resolve their outstanding disputes. Strikes are not helpful at a time when Irish officials in Brussels are fighting off EU attempts to open up EU rail markets to open tender and when the final vote on the railway package goes through the European Parliament over the next few weeks."