Commuters will face massive disruption - after unions at Irish Rail confirmed a three hour work stoppage on Bank Holiday Friday the 23rd of October, as well as on the 6th of November.
All Intercity, DART and Commuter Services will all be affected throughout the morning rush.
The Minister for Transport says the strike will massively inconvenience the public and cost Irish Rail dearly.
Juliette Gash reports;
Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe says the strike is very disappointing and will not only inconvenience the public, but damage the company.
He issued the following statement;
‘News that rail services are to be disrupted, with a negative impact once again on the travelling public, is very disappointing. The issues at the heart of this dispute are ones that should be resolved through the industrial relations machinery that is available and best placed to mediate in such matters’.
“The financial situation at Irish Rail is such that the company continues to lose €1 million each month. For my part, I have worked exceptionally hard since coming to office to support the company in its efforts to get itself on a more stable financial footing."
“Industrial action at Irish Rail will massively inconvenience the public and have a damaging effect on the company’s finances. Company management has said it remains open to talks at the Labour Relations Commission in a bid to resolving the matter. I urge the unions involved to do the same.”
Iarnród Éireann News Release
Iarnród Éireann management has received notification from trade unions representing drivers – SIPTU and NBRU – that they intend to take industrial action on Friday 23rd October and Friday 6th November, between the hours of 06.00hrs and 09.00hrs on both dates. This would affect all Intercity, DART and Commuter services.
At a time when our business is experiencing some recovery, and when we have had some success in securing much-needed additional Exchequer funding, any disruption will be hugely damaging, with the effects felt beyond the hours of action due to train sets and crews being out of place for following services.
Industrial action will damage customer demand, customer confidence, the finances of the company and ultimately the interests of all employees.
As we have stated consistently, we remain available to engage with our trade unions on productivity claims, with the assistance of the industrial relations machinery of the state. We want to identify productivity measures which will yield benefits to be shared between the company and employees, and it is only dialogue – not disruption – which will resolve this issue.
In this context, we would urge a withdrawal of the notice of industrial action and a resumption of negotiations. This would ensure we serve our customers and avoid losing hard-fought business gains at the busiest travel time of the year for commuters, business and leisure travellers.
