Luas drivers set for all-out strike as company rejects 'off the scale' wage demands
The Luas could be hit with an 'all out strike' after talks to end a dispute at the transport company broke down last night.
Management and unions walked away from the Workplace Relations Commission without a deal to end an ongoing salary dispute.
Drivers had reduced their pay claim of up to 54%, by almost half, but it was still too far away from what the operators Transdev were prepared to consider.
If nothing changes strikes will now go ahead on Saint Patrick's Day and over the Easter Bank Holiday weekend.
John Murphy of SIPTU's transport division says they are running out of options.
"We didn't want to see the 17th or the Easter weekend going ahead, but that's what's likely now, because there's no engagement," he said.
"And, you know, the only other mechanism there we have for trying to get the company to sit down and negotiate seriously is to further escalate, and that could be on further dates, or an all-out action.
"Now that's something we don't want to do, but if the employer is clearly saying no, it might be the only option left."
Gerry Madden, managing director of Transdev, which run the Luas, said that drivers are still being unrealistic in their pay claims of between 27%-30%.
“When you turn to the drivers, we’re talking about pay claims still in the region of 30%, it’s still off the scale by any measures, it’s not against any industry norms or any comparatives we can draw upon,” he said.
“So I’m very disappointed in that space, and I would just urge SIPTU and the drivers to go back and reconsider, seriously.”
A recent survey by iReach Insights conducted a ‘nationally representative’ group of 1,000 adults revealed that some 31% of those who use the Luas frequently think it’s the Luas drivers only who are at fault for the in the Luas pay dispute.
Another 22% think SIPTU is at fault and 20% of very frequent Luas users blame Luas/Transdev management.
The remaining 27% point the ‘finger of fault’ at all involved parties equally in the dispute.
The study also found that for very frequent Luas users, 85% of them will be affected by these planned Luas strikes on St Patrick’s Day.
Nearly six in 10 (58%) very frequent users said they will be prevented entirely from celebrating St Patrick’s Day because of the planned strike and 27% said they will have to make other arrangements for celebrating that day.
