Train-drivers have called off their threat of disruption to August holiday traffic. The National Locomotive Drivers Committee, an unofficial body, had planned to treat the public holiday on Monday as a rest day and stop all mainline services.
That Monday is one of the busiest days of the year. All Iarnrod Eireann drivers normally work it and are paid treble time. There were indications that many drivers would not heed the call to take a rest day, given the failure of the stoppage on July 12th to achieve the committee's chief demand, to bring forward talks on pay and restructuring from the planned date of August 17th.
Following the day of action on July 12th, the chief executive of the LRC, Mr Kieran Mulvey, suspended all negotiations involving Iarnrod Eireann. Last week the company requested that he formally reopen talks. Yesterday he formally invited the official unions, SIPTU and the NBRU, and the company to meet him next Wednesday to discuss a timetable for negotiations. There is no reference to industrial action in the LRC invitation, nevertheless it has sent a strong signal to the train-drivers that unofficial industrial action will not gain preferential treatment for the perpetrators.
The chairman of the NLDC, Mr Brendan Ogle, said last night it was calling off its threatened action in the light of the company's request to the LRC to re-enter negotiations. SIPTU's national industrial secretary, Mr Noel Dowling, earlier welcomed the fact that talks would resume on schedule, as did the NBRU assistant general secretary, Mr Liam Tobin.
Iarnrod Eireann spokesman Mr Barry Kenny said the company would accept the LRC's invitation to resume negotiations.