TALKS to avert tomorrow's threatened strike by clerical workers in Iarnrod Eireann broke down shortly before midnight. Afterwards the company said services would be maintained, even if the strike went ahead.
However, the one-day stoppage was expected to disrupt ticket sales at the start of the holiday season. The company may sell preprinted books of tickets, distributed by management personnel. No talks are planned for today, but informal contacts are continuing and the Labour Relations Commission may intervene.
The workers involved are members of the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association. It plans a series of one day strikes beginning tomorrow, because of a decision by Irish Rail to close its Railink subsidiary with the loss of 50 jobs.
Meanwhile there are fears than SIPTU, would leave the CIE group of unions. Senior SIPTU officials in the company are unhappy with a situation where small craft unions had equal voting rights at group meetings.
They also feel affiliation to the group limits their freedom of action. Many members had defected to the smaller National Bus and Rail Union, which is outside the group, and often adopts a more militant stance. However the SIPTU leadership is anxious that a united front be maintained as the unions enter critical talks on a £44 million cost cutting viability plan in CIE next month.