The Executive Council of the Locomotive Drivers' Association has said that its members will not be returning to work tomorrow under the terms of the joint proposals from the Labour Court and Labour Relations Commission. However, after a meeting in Tullamore, the ILDA said they would be holding an extraordinary meeting of their members in Dublin tomorrow to discuss their options. Speaking in Tullamore, Executive Secretary, Brendan Ogle, said that an alternative framework for resolution of the dispute will also be put to its members. The LRC proposal had envisaged a return to work by the drivers tomorrow morning.
Fine Gael's Olivia Mitchell, TD, today appealed to the Locomotive Drivers who are members of the ILDA to take the honourable opportunity provided by the Labour Relations Commission when they vote tomorrow on proposals for a return to work. Ms Mitchell also said that she hoped that a sensible and workable settlement could be reached between the line maintenance workers, their trade union SIPTU and Iarnród Éireann, in their separate dispute.
Iarnród Éireann have sent a negotiating team to meet SIPTU officials to discuss the counter-offer they made this morning. SIPTU officials made the counter-offer while representing line maintenance staff who are threatening to strike from tomorrow. A spokesperson for the company said there were still a number of differences which would need to be resolved. The treatened strike action would bring train services to a standstill.
The SIPTU proposal was drawn up in reply to a new pay offer made by the rail company last week. SIPTU officials are involved in a weekend of meetings to discuss their dispute with Iarnród Éireann. They met until after midnight last night, and will hold further talks this afternoon. In the meantime, the union said that it was available to meet the company at any time.
