Commuter misery to continue in row over rail roster
COMMUTERS face more misery today as a result of an unofficial rail dispute in Cork, where industrial action caused disruption to thousands of passengers yesterday.
All Cork-Dublin services were cancelled between 11am and 5.30pm. Services from Dublin to Kent Station in Cork were cancelled from 6pm, and the 6.30pm Dublin-Tralee train was also hit by the Cork-based drivers' action.
A number of Cork commuter services serving Cobh and Mallow were also affected by the dispute over driver rosters.
A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann said it was likely that today's services from Cork to Dublin, up to and including the 9.30am Cork-Dublin service, would be cancelled.
"The 10.30am and 11.30am Cork to Heuston are expected to operate from Mallow only, with bus transfers from Cork to Mallow. The 7am and 8am Heuston to Cork services are likely to operate to Mallow only, with bus transfers from Mallow to Cork. The remaining morning services are likely to be cancelled," he warned
"All Cork to Cobh and Cork to Mallow commuter services are expected to be cancelled, and customers are advised to make alternative arrangements.''
The spokesman added that some Cork-Tralee services were expected to be cancelled, with others operating between Tralee and Mallow only.
He said the stoppage began with the refusal of a Cork-based driver to drive within core roster hours yesterday morning, to facilitate the training of new drivers. The spokesman said Iarnrod Eireann would try to provide bus transfers on some of the affected Dublin-Cork, and Cork-Mallow services.
At the time of going to press, there no comment from SIPTU on behalf of the rail workers. The Iarnrod Eireann spokesman said service information would be updated as soon as it became available.
Negotiations
He claimed the action by drivers followed months of non-cooperation with the training of new drivers, and numerous refusals to drive trains within normal rosters.
"Iarnrod Eireann has patiently endeavoured to resolve these issues by engaging in the agreed industrial relations machinery," he added.
The Labour Relations Commission and the drivers' unions, SIPTU and NBRU, had told drivers to cooperate with training and to drive normally within core rosters as the basis for continuing talks.
"The situation has now become unsustainable and intolerable. Iarnrod Eireann has already increased the number of drivers by over 50pc over the past eight years," he added.
- Michelle McDonagh
