HOW CYNICAL CAN THE RAIL UNIONS GET?
■ They won’t let Labour Court rule on pay ■ Strikes timed to hit key national events ■ No trains for Ireland’s World Cup playoff ■ December 8th shoppers are targeted too
THERE was growing fury last night at rail unions’ decision to target our World Cup playoff in their bid to win inflationbusting pay rises. Fans vented their outrage after unions announced railway and Dart strikes for November 14, the night the national soccer team plays Denmark in our bid to make our first World Cup finals since 2002. The union bosses also targeted December 8 – universally known as a day when people around the country travel to Dublin for a day’s Christmas shopping.
Many fans complained publicly about the strike on a day when 51,700 supporters are expected at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium. One tweeted: ‘Irish Rail on strike November 14, one way
not to get the public behind them.’ Another Republic of Ireland fan tweeted: ‘Going on strike the day Ireland play Denmark? Seriously will ye always be greedy?’
Another tweeted: ‘Announcing a strike the day of the play off game only after all tickets are sold out is the most Irish thing ever.’
A fan tweeted: ‘Irish rail staff strike! So they’ll all be free to go to the match then on the 14th.’
And Mark Gleeson, from the Rail Users Ireland lobby group, said: ‘The choice of November 14, that is not a random date.
‘That date is chosen deliberately, in our opinion, to cause the maximum pain and obviously that is going to impact our international visitors.
‘December 8 is also on the list, a big shopping day. Again, it is clear that they’re targeting high impact dates. They do appear to have been chosen to inflict the maximum degree of pain and inconvenience on the public, which is unacceptable.’
In addition, approximately 155,000 commuters who rely on the rail network daily will be hit by the other 24-hour stoppages on November 1, 7, and 23. All stoppages will affect InterCity, Dart and commuter lines.
The November 14 game is sold out. Thousands of fans who are set to travel to the game from all over Ireland, Denmark and beyond will rely on the Dart to travel to the Aviva Stadium. Many may also use InterCity services to Heuston and Connolly.
If the Republic of Ireland win over the two legs of the playoff then they will be going to Russia next year for the World Cup finals – the first for 16 years.
Unions are striking in their longrunning dispute over pay and announced the strike dates after talks broke down on Thursday night. But Irish Rail has accused the unions, the NBRU, Unite and Siptu, of walking away from talks.
Siptu’s Greg Ennis said the strike on November 14 was not intentionally timed to coincide with the Republic of Ireland v Denmark game.
He said: ‘There was a lot of speculation that the stoppage would take place on the Bank Holiday weekend. So Siptu along with the other trade unions decided it was in the public’s best interests not to disturb the Bank Holiday weekend for people who are travelling.
‘The dates were selected and agreed by all unions. The fact that they coincide with the international soccer match, that’s a coincidence more than anything. It’s a 24-hour stoppage. We start at 00:01 hours and it runs up until midnight the next night.
‘So it’s not just around the time of the game, it’s [starting] 20 hours before that.’
The NBRU’s Dermot O’Leary said: ‘The dates chosen have been notified almost 11 dates in advance of Day One, November 1, and over 16 days in advance of Day Two, November 7, allowing for people to at least be able, if possible, to make alternative arrangements.’
Unions at the semi-state company announced there had been an ‘overwhelming’ mandate in favour of taking industrial action delivered by their members yesterday.
This comes as talks with management broke down in the Workplace Relations Commission after 12 hours of negotiations late on Thursday.
Irish Rail said it offered a 1.75% pay increase for one year to include ‘performance management, absenteeism management, revisions to deployment policy and payroll’. The firm said industrial action will disrupt customers and will mean employees will lose pay. It said the company’s ‘precarious finances will be weakened further, in a situation where accumulated losses are €160million, and the company is dangerously close to insolvency’.
‘Dangerously close to insolvency’