Train drivers will begin voting today over a series of planned one-day strikes which could bring commuter and inter-city services to a halt in the run-up to Christmas.
The industrial action is being considered by about 100 drivers who are members of the 3/57 branch in the ATGWU and were formerly ILDA members. The branch represents about one-third of locomotive drivers, according to its secretary, Mr Brendan Ogle.
He said the threatened action, beginning on Monday, December 15th, was "a worst-case scenario", and he hoped Iarnród Éireann, ICTU and SIPTU would sit down and talk to the union so that the strike could be averted.
The action is being considered because the ATGWU train drivers are not represented in negotiations with Iarnród Éireann, while the SIPTU and the NBRU members are represented. Mr Ogle said the drivers were not recognised in a dispute by ILDA in 2000 because the union did not have a licence. Now those drivers had become members of the licensed ATGWU, yet Iarnród Éireann was still refusing to recognise them.
On Friday, Iarnród Éireann's managing director, Mr Joe Meagher said he was "very confident" that the strike would not be sanctioned by the ATGWU. Yesterday, Mr Ogle said this statement showed "a breathtaking arrogance" by the company.
He said the strike would go ahead if he got a mandate from the members, regardless of whether it was sanctioned or not.
While the problem over recognition has been brewing for some time, it has been brought to a head by the planned introduction of new timetables on Sunday, December 14th.
The addition of 80 new rail cars means that capacity on services will increase by 25 to 43 per cent.
This morning, Mr Ogle and his colleagues are meeting their legal advisers to explore the option of taking action to compel Iarnród Éireann to recognise the drivers.
In a statement issued last night, the company said it would "explore every avenue", including litigation to deal effectively with a threat to its services.
Mr John Keenan, Iarnród Éireann's human resources manager said the trade union organisation of train drivers was a matter for the trade union movement.
He said ICTU had considered the issue in 2001 and ruled that ATGWU should not organise these workers. "If the workers concerned wish to challenge the outcome of the ICTU examination they should do so within the structures provided by the trade union movement and not by threatening to disrupt rail passenger services at one of the busiest times of the year," he said.
