ROAD blockades similar to those employed in last year's French truckers dispute have been threatened by rank and file trade union militants in CIE, if the company disciplines any of the 2,500 workers who participated in yesterday's protests.
CIE services are expected to return to normal this morning, following yesterday's demonstrations in Dublin and major provincial centres.
The biggest demonstration was in the capital, where 1,400 employees marched from Parnell Square to Leinster House.
At Leinster House a letter of protest at proposed cutbacks in workers' earnings was handed in for the Minister for Transport, Energy and Communications, Mr Dukes. The marchers were overwhelmingly made up of bus and locomotive drivers.
As a result Dublin Bus, DART and Intercity services were severely disrupted, especially during the middle of the day.
The protests had originally been called by SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union.
However, they cancelled them because of fears that CIE might take legal proceedings against them for being in breach of the 1990 Industrial Relations Act.
In the event, rank and file groups such as the Locomotive Drivers' Committee and the Bus Workers' Action Group pushed ahead with protests anyway. In addition to Dublin, marches were also held in Cork, Limerick, Galway and Waterford.
As a result Bus Eireann suburban routes in these cities were disrupted, but its other services operated normally.
At the Dublin meeting speakers attacked trade union leaders, as well as CIE management and the Government.
The chairman of the Locomotive Drivers' Committee, Mr Brendan Ogle, a SIPTU shopsteward, called on the general secretary of SIPTU, Mr Billy Attley and the general secretary of the NBRU, Mr Peter Bunting, to come down from their Ivory Towers and do the jobs they're paid for and represent you, the members".
He called on CIE to withdraw its £44 million cost cutting viability plan which would reduce the earnings of some workers by 50 per cent. "We will do everything in our power to prevent that happening."
A speaker for the National Busworkers' Action Group, Mr Owen McCormack, a member of the NBRU, congratulated bus and rail workers who stopped work today despite threats and intimidation by management".
"We have a very simple message today to the politicians and CIE. You lay one hand on the conditions and pay of any CIE worker and we'll have a national transport strike".