Three senior SIPTU negotiators in Iarnrod Eireann have been removed from their positions because they have refused to stand down from the National Locomotive Drivers' Committee.
The NLDC is the unofficial committee of shop stewards which disrupted mainline rail services on July 12th, when 300 drivers exercised their right to treat it as a rest day. It disrupted services because it wanted talks on drivers' pay scheduled for August 17th to be brought forward by a month. Subsequently the Labour Relations Commission suspended all talks with drivers until threats of disruption were lifted.
The NLDC is now seeking assurances that the talks begin as originally scheduled on August 17th, with a commitment from the LRC and the company that they will continue without a break until agreement is reached. The NLDC is expected to disrupt services again during the August bank holiday if its demands are not met.
Although SIPTU was not commenting yesterday on its action, the decision to suspend the NLDC leaders is clearly an attempt to reassert official structures before the negotiation process collapses completely.
The chairman of the NLDC, Mr Brendan Ogle, who is one of the three drivers concerned, said yesterday that they would resist the union decision by "every avenue" open to them, including the courts. He also said that when talks resumed on the company's viability plan, he would be attending them, along with the other suspended negotiators.
"SIPTU wants new negotiators, but the people who elected us are quite happy with the job we are doing", he said. "Nobody is replacing us at the negotiating table."
