Iarnród Éireann representatives have said that talks are at a very delicate stage. The sides have now been talking for over 8 hours. However, they do seem a little more optimistic now that some breakthrough can be reached. The action planned for tomorrow is unofficial action and the ultimate decision about whether or not to strike will ultimately lie with the DART drivers.
The dispute centres on the deployment of three new drivers. Earlier, the Labour Court ruled in favour of Iarnród Éireann management. They maintain that a previous £8,000 payment to drivers was to secure their co-operation for extending Dart services and covered the training and deployment of new drivers.
The chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Kieran Mulvey, invited both sides to the talks. He said that he would be asking them to consider why pay proposals suggested by the commission had been rejected. It is also likely that the Labour Court will issue a clarification of its recommendation of the deployment of drivers.
The action is threatened over plans to re-deploy three drivers. The company says that it has an agreement to deploy eight new drivers to test new trains. However, the DART drivers have let it be known that there will be industrial action if the drivers are introduced. They say that agreement has only been reached on deploying five drivers. They have threatened to walk out if further drivers are introduced.
