Further disruption to train services has been threatened by the drivers who took unofficial industrial action yesterday, leading to interruptions in rail services between Dublin and Cork and Kerry. The drivers' action resulted in a fall in the number of passengers carried on the affected routes from a norm of 9,000 to 4,500.
The breakaway union at the centre of the dispute, the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA), has warned that further action is likely next Sunday.
He is the second senior ILDA member to encounter difficulties over representing fellow drivers. On Friday, train services in Athlone were disrupted when the ILDA executive secretary, Mr Brendan Ogle, had a similar grievance.
A company spokesman said ILDA was not a recognised union and had "no legal standing whatsoever".
Mr Ogle said he believed the company was "testing the ground and I think they have had their answer". He warned the company that unless it was prepared to give written assurances that ILDA members would receive paid time off to represent drivers at disciplinary hearings and inquiries, the ILDA executive would sanction further disruption.
This is likely to mean further disruption to Sunday services on all routes. Because Sunday working is optional, it is not necessary for strike ballots to be held or strike notice served.
The ILDA has about 120 members, or a third of Iarnrod Eireann drivers. It is opposed to attempts by the company to introduce more flexible working arrangements and has accused the established trade unions, SIPTU and the NBRU, of selling out train drivers.