Union turns nose up at €500 gift

A TRAIN workers union has called management at Irish Rail ‘Grinch-like’ after it issued staff with a €500 ‘goodwill’ voucher that can only be spent in Dunnes Stores.

Staff, who went on strike last month, accepted a LRC deal which included a rise and a once-off €500 voucher.

The workers are said to have expected a One4All voucher.

A RAIL workers union has accused Irish Rail management of ‘Grinchlike behaviour’ after issuing them with a €500 voucher that can only be spent in Dunnes Stores.

Staff, who had gone on strike for two days in November, recently voted to accept a Labour Court recommendation which included a pay rise of 7.5% over three years, and a €500 ‘goodwill’ voucher.

The workers are believed to have been anticipating a One4All voucher, which is accepted in 8,000 outlets nationwide, similar to one received by bus colleagues.

Dunnes won the tender for the voucher after a procurement process. It is understood their bid offered the company savings in the region of €230,000 to the next lowest quote received.

However, the National Bus and Rail Union wrote to the company this week to complain about the choice of Dunnes. It hit out at what it described as ‘a determination Complaint: Dermot O’Leary at senior management level within Irish Rail to seek out confrontation at every turn’.

In the letter to Irish Rail CEO David Franks, NBRU general secretary Dermot O’Leary said: ‘The NBRU has been informed that there was a general consensus at the recent Irish Rail board meeting that the goodwill voucher should be one redeemed at a number of outlets, again similar to those issued by Dublin Bus and Bus Éireann.

‘However, we are now being advised that the goodwill voucher that Iarnród Éireann intend to issue following the Labour Court recommendation on pay is being restricted to one outlet.’

Mr O’Leary added the ‘outlet in question’ is ‘hostile’ to unions. He also referred to the event in which Irish Rail spent €20,000 hosting a four-day fishing contest for railway sports clubs in the north.

He wrote: ‘One wonders if those [who] attended the Iarnród Éireann-organised fishing jamboree in railmarooned Enniskillen recently, were restricted to a limited choice when it came to being fed and watered.’

He added that the ‘Grinchlike behaviour being demonstrated around the whole voucher saga’ is one which will ‘stymie, delay, frustrate – even prevent – progress across a range of initiatives’.

A spokesperson for Irish Rail yesterday said Dunnes has a very strong ‘national reach with over 100 outlets in 25 of the 26 counties, and are clearly convenient and accessible to all colleagues’. He said 40% of staff had completed the online registration to receive the voucher within 24 hours.

In terms of awarding the tender to Dunnes, the spokesman said: ‘There was no specification at any time as to the type of outlet. However, we did include in our criteria that there be a range of retail products available.

‘Across the criteria of cost, security of distribution, national reach and range of products, Dunnes Stores performed best overall of those who quoted.

‘Iarnród Éireann made sure we were ready to move quickly to issue the vouchers should the ballot be accepted... That employees were in a position to claim their vouchers just four days after the ballot results shows we are committed to both the spirit and letter of the recommendation.

Greg Ennis, divisional organiser with Siptu, said: ‘Siptu believes Irish Rail should have ensured a voucher with greater flexibility.

‘Notwithstanding tender issues etc, this unhelpful development, does not bode well for future talks in 2018.’

‘Stymie, delay and frustrate...’

IRISH Rail workers are unhappy that the €500 voucher promised as part of their settlement deal after the recent trade dispute is for Dunnes Stores, and not a One-for-All gift card accepted by a wide variety of retail outlets.

Once again, they seem to have no idea how they look to the outside world. There are countless thousands who would love a €500 voucher from their employer in time for Christmas. If Irish Rail workers are unhappy, maybe they could donate the vouchers to the Society of St Vincent de Paul, which would be only too delighted to ensure they’re put to good use.