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Sam Boal/Photocall Ireland

Not backing down: 48-hour Luas strike likely as company hits back at drivers

24 or 48 hour stoppages on the tram system are “quite likely” drivers have warned.

TRANSDEV, THE COMPANY that runs the Luas, is standing firm in the face of a threatened strike from drivers.

In a strongly worded statement this afternoon, it said pay and conditions on the Dublin tram system were very favourable, and called for fresh talks at the Workplace Relations Commission.

Drivers voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action last week, with a Siptu representative saying that 24 or 48 hour stoppages were “quite likely”.

223 Luas employees took part in the ballot. 221 voted in favour of industrial action, with only two people voting against.

The union needs to give 21 days notice of any action.

Drivers are understood to be preparing for a two-day stoppage.

Escalating row

Speaking last week, Siptu organiser Owen Reidy said the union had been talking to management for 18 months but had been “getting nowhere”.

“I anticipate that given the result and the fact that it is emphatic that there will be a lot of frustration, and the ballot can allow us to do 24 and 48 hour stoppages,” Reidy said.

Drivers are essentially seeking pay parity with heavy rail drivers for Irish Rail.

Currently, the top salary after ten years of service is around €42,000. Siptu’s calling for an increase in the starting salary to €35,000 – up from €32,000 – rising to €60,000 after ten years.

Management hits back

In today’s statement Transdev Managing Director Gerry Madden said he believed “pay and terms and conditions of Luas employees are, and always have been, very favourable”.

The Labour Court issued a recommendation in December 2015 “that both parties should enter into realistic and meaningful negotiations under the auspices of the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) on the issues in dispute,” he said.

Transdev firmly believes that the Labour Court’s recommendation provides the only framework within which this dispute can be resolved and is calling on SIPTU and internal staff representatives to re-engage under the auspices of the WRC to resolve this dispute and avoid any unnecessary disruption to our customers.

According to Transdev:

“The claims being pursued by SIPTU on pay alone are between 8.5% and 53.8% depending on the pay scale, and would cost Transdev €30 million over the 5 years of the Luas operating contract – €6m per year.

“This is at a time when Transdev finds itself in a loss making situation.

“The loss incurred by Transdev in 2015 was €700,000 and we are predicting further losses in 2016. The financial status of the company has been independently verified by Mazars and this analysis has been fully shared with SIPTU as recommended by the Labour Court.

“The Labour Court recommended that the Mazars report should provide a context for the parties to engage in the discussions under the auspices of the WRC.

SIPTU members rejected the Labour Court recommendation.

Pay scales 

The company, in its statement this afternoon, included a link to detailed information on pay scales. 

It also highlighted a bonus system for workers, in addition to pay, of up to 6.5%.

“This averages out at between €2,200 and €3,000 per employee per annum. Over 96% of employees achieve the maximum bonus.”

Signing off its lengthy statement, the company said:

“During the economic crisis, Transdev, unlike many other employers, did not cut pay, freeze pay or change our employees’ terms and conditions. On the contrary Transdev increased pay between the years 2009 and 2015, with increments ranging between 1.25% and 5%. During this period we also reduced average working hours.

121 out of 243 union employees received a salary uplift in the year 2015.

Related: 24-hour stoppages ‘quite likely’ as Luas drivers vote overwhelmingly in favour of strike

Read: The owners of Coppers are sitting on an absolute treasure trove of cash

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105 Comments
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    Mute David Stapleton
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:00 PM

    Is there any way to find out if I was not baptised correctly and so am not a member of an organisation that I cannot voluntarily leave?

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    Mute Charlie
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:04 PM

    @David Stapleton: You can certainly leave but they will still consider you a catholic.
    Even if you choose to be another religion, or you can try and get excommunicated. If you succeed will you spread the “word”?

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:14 PM

    @Charlie: You need permission to get excommunicated and no you cannot voluntarily leave they made it illegal 15 years or so ago.

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    Mute Miriam Kelliher
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    Feb 17th 2022, 8:17 PM

    @Irish Antichrist: illegal? Seriously

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    Mute Teresa O'Halloran
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    Feb 18th 2022, 12:28 AM

    @David Stapleton: If you don’t want to belong – leave. No need to make a drama out of it.

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    Mute Marie Gunbay
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    Feb 18th 2022, 1:10 AM

    @David Stapleton: love your humour ha ha hope you are not stressing out about this.

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    Mute Stephen Mogerley
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:03 PM

    This is like an Onion article.

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    Mute David F. Dwyer
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:11 PM

    Is there anything to be said for another mass?

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    Mute Dave Harris
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    Feb 17th 2022, 5:08 PM

    @David F. Dwyer: that would be an ecumenical matter

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    Mute Brendan Harlowe
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:00 PM

    @David F. Dwyer: it would depend on the wording used if it would be beneficial

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    Mute Larry Whack
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:02 PM

    Remember, these people are supposedly educated adults.

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    Mute Maximus_Demonus
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    Feb 17th 2022, 4:33 PM

    Ah no, if you’re going to do magic spells get the wording correct, otherwise anything can happen.

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    Mute Tony Durran
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:25 PM

    @Maximus_Demonus: Mickey mouse showed us the horrors that can unfold.

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    Mute Séamus White
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:05 PM

    Lucky them

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:09 PM

    But I thought their god was three people?

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    Mute Watchful Axe
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:59 PM

    @John Mulligan: When you look at a shamrock, is that one leaf or three leaves in your opinion. Jazus.

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    Mute John Mulligan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 9:03 PM

    @Watchful Axe: we have no idea of the relevance of your question.
    And my name’s not Jazus.

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    Mute Larry O Reilly
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:09 PM

    What the big deal, it down to interpretation we v I, who cares they lucky anyone want to be associated with this corporate sinful organisation

    52
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    Mute Ann Harman
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:56 PM

    We=God and I.No problem

    31
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    Mute Mike Ryan
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:13 PM

    Who knew identity politics would be such a pervasive issue in the catholic church

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    Mute Tony Durran
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:24 PM

    They’ve got a point. What if the spell doesn’t work without the correct invocation?!

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    Mute Padraic McDonagh
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    Feb 17th 2022, 3:50 PM
    38
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    Mute Mary Nugent
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:15 PM

    @Padraic McDonagh: Boris at it back then, my God.

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:13 PM

    Why would a universe creator give a toss??

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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    Feb 17th 2022, 9:36 PM

    Hilarious! So what does the all-powerful, all-loving God look down on the baptism and snark… “Hmmm… no, he didn’t quite say that right, so that baby can’t come in I’m afraid”? – It’s hard to believe that a church who continuously preaches about how God and The Holy Spirit and Jesus love us all so much and is super-powerful and super-intelligent, and how we should rejoice that He even exists… would also consider Him that incredibly petty…

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    Mute Pete Brady
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:25 PM

    They need to train priests better so that this doesnt happen again and set up a freephone helpline for concerned Catholics who may be affected by this error. I mightn’t sleep tonight unless I can pull out my documents on the off chance my parents christened me in Brazil.

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    Mute Christopher Mc Camley
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:27 PM

    Usual anti Catholics that the Journal attracts out with their comments. This Cork priest hasn’t a clue what he’s talking about. He merely confirms that the Association of Catholic Priests isn’t representing the views of majority of priests.

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    Mute Pat Conway
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    Feb 17th 2022, 8:02 PM

    @Christopher Mc Camley: What difference does it make anyway whether it’s a ‘correct’ baptism or not. What benefit does it bring to the child? None whatsoever.

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    Mute katholic
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:24 PM

    Asking the Association of “Catholic” Priests to comment on something like this is pretty pointless. They’re nothing but the media’s “go-to” Fr. Trendys. They can always be relied upon to misunderstand and fudge the details of any issue relating to the Church.

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    Mute Piggy
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    Feb 17th 2022, 4:42 PM

    No, he was on trial in Liverpool

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    Mute Ken Miles
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    Feb 17th 2022, 6:56 PM

    Should have stuck with the proper version, no mistake then

    ego te baptizo in nomine + Patris, et Filii, +, et Spiritus + Sancti.

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    Mute Irish Antichrist
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    Feb 17th 2022, 7:16 PM

    @Ken Miles: + Et Nonsense

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    Mute Colm de Cleir
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    Feb 18th 2022, 12:32 AM

    Maybe it’s a computer running it all up there and they forgot an important rule of UI: Never allow free text on data you’re going to validate. They need to spell it out for them and the priest just ticks a box or something.

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    Mute Sean
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    Feb 18th 2022, 7:59 AM

    Why would milk not work for consecration? After all it isn’t actually the blood of Jesus that is used. It is just red wine with a drop of water.

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