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TRANSPORT MINISTER PASCHAL Donohoe said this afternoon that he had no plans to involve himself directly in efforts to resolve the long-running dispute at Irish Rail, as unions and management arrived for a second day of talks at the LRC.
There have been calls for the Minister to intervene in the row, and speaking today, Dermot O’Leary of the National Bus and Rail Workers Union said that as far as he was concerned there were three parties to the row — the company, the workers and the Government.
However, speaking at an event in Dublin city centre, Donohoe insisted the Labour Relations Commission was the best forum to reach a resolution, stressing that it was a “non-political body” that had “expertise and experience” in the area.
The NBRU, SIPTU and Irish Rail made separate submissions to the LRC in the first day of exploratory talks on Saturday.
Speaking afterwards, SIPTU organiser Paul Cullen said that there had been “no progress” as yet. The LRC has been assessing each submission over the weekend, and it’s hoped some headway can be made today.
“There’s a spirit between all parties, groups and stakeholders to try and understand today the significance of any dispute going forward,” Irish Rail Human Resources Director Ciaran Masterson said on his way into today’s meeting.
Strikes
Up to 100,000 people are estimated to have been affected by a 48-hour rail strike held last Sunday and Monday.
More stoppages have been scheduled for 7, 8 and 21 September. The All-Ireland Hurling Final is due to take place on the 7th, while the football final will be held on the 21st.
The dispute centres on a pay cut which Irish Rail insists is necessary to plug a hole in the company’s finances.
Workers earning below €50,000 are being hit with a reduction of 1.7 per cent, with those above the 50k mark facing a 2.5 per cent decrease.
No change
Donohoe said that he would not be proposing any further cuts in Government investment in Irish Rail as he negotiated his Department’s Budget.
But he said, “we’re also dealing with an organisation which 60 per cent of the total costs of it are in relation to payroll”.
That is why achieving these savings are a vital contribution to the future of Irish Rail.
Asked by a reporter whether he was calling for the planned strikes to be called off, he said:
I want to respect the role of the LRC and respect the decisions that management and unions have already made to begin these discussions.
Though he added that any continuation of the industrial action would have a “negative effect on the company”.
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He doesn’t sound very good at his job. Maybe he should try learning from Lloyd George and take a more hands on approach…or just an approach
Jesus H Christ…why do we need politicians if they refuse to get involved in such matters❓❓
The state has invested significant resources in industrial relations mechanisms and you want a politician (who may have no experience in such matters) to ride in on his white steed to save the day?
Yes, it is his sector and therefore his responsibility. Clearly the current mechanisms are not working if strike action is not prevented. For public transport of any kind to shut down even for a matter of hours is damaging to the economy. It is horrifying that the minister would refuse to intervene
When we’re talking about 100,000 people affected, their jobs, family too etc – then a minister should step in pronto.
Wow! What an utterly useless idiot of a minister.
In fairness Donohoe is quite good at sitting on his hands. Experience gained by sitting on the back benches no doubt.
Whether or not he intervenes,the man is an absolute clown!
Pascal says he is leaving it to the experts! Clearly that ain’t working. Time to intervene.
I work for irish rail, not one of the striking unions but I lose a days pay for every strike. So would be nice if pascal did his job.
Plus 100,000 commuters forced to make alternative arrangements.
So the Government, who are solely responsible for the crisis in Irish Rail due to savage cuts in funding have appointed a Minister for Transport who doesn’t give a sh*te. …
The trains won’t run on fresh air Pascal! !!!
What next? Trip to the doctor will end with the doctor saying you might be ill but that he really doesn’t want to get involved. And that will be 50 euro please..
This is actually outrageous. If he doesn’t want to do his job, he should resign.
Sadly that is what the doctor does suggesting go to A&E….our professionals/politicians merely want the money and let someone else do the job!
Any Minister who say that he/she wouldn’t intervene to help to stop the strike must be stupid, coward and lazy….
Whether or not he intervenes,the man is an absolute clown!
Sounds like he has mates on both sides and doesn’t wanna annoy anyone at this stage.
Where’s Bertie and his cheque book when you need him!
Paschal Donohue has to get involved in this dispute……because he uses tax payers money every year to shore up the idiots that are incompetent in Irish Rail……the unions are a complete bunch of muppets telling working class people they have to go on strike to preserve their wages, which in turn will cost them much more than a small drop in wages….possibly their jobs when govt decide to privatise irish rail,stop holding working class people to ransom with your strikes and cop on to yourselves union idiots
The unions have to stand up for their members less than 8 months since 74 million in cost saving measures which where given by workers irish rail are back looking for more the government cut the public service by 74million which made the savings irrelevant it’s a public service which needs public funding the workers have well played their part next time you travel on an intercity Dublin to cork with the other two hundred plus passengers spare a thought for the driver who has the responsibility for all those people safety as he is the only irish rail staff member on board due to cut backs maybe we should just let robots do the work
He is the minister for nothing… .. useless git..
I think the strike is good the longer the better. We need the workers to rebel then the TDs and Senators will wake up to the plight of the poor
I’m not intervening, says Minister — Fcuk sake I dont get paid to work……
Paschal Donohoe has been towing the party line for years now, defending his party and this government through every crisis. Even when FG’ers were jumping for cover during the GSOC/Shatter scandal Paschal jumped into the firing line defending the indefensible. He took bullets for everyone, he acted as a flack jacket for all the cowards like Hogan, Noonan, Kenny and John Bruton who fell silent when the words “bugging” and “GSOC” were uttered in a sentence for the first time. The government could do no wrong in Paschal’s eyes and he was going to defend them even if he wasn’t aware of the full facts of anything that was going on at the time. For his fanatical blind loyalty to his boss (Enda Kenny) and his betrayal to you and I, he has been rewarded handsomely with another ministry and all that entails. Staff, office, higher pension etc…. Because after all, that is how politics works in Ireland.
Unfortunately for the commuters without a ride and the employee’s who are embroiled in this dispute ,that is the limit of Paschal’s abilities. He is no statesman & he certainly not a skilled negotiator (as his many shouty appearances on various current affairs programmes clearly demonstrate) He may be able to fill an entire interview with creative vaccuspeak and general misinformation, but when it comes to actual dialogue and reasoned debate he is unable to function.
This is why it will left to the LRC, as it always is, because very few of the politicians who have risen through the ranks of the party system have any skills other than how to politik. (German spelling intended) Donohoe like many others are products of a political system that puts party survival before all else, even the survival of the country in Fianna Fails case.
A laissez-faire attitude to one of the most contentious government portfolios isn’t something to shake a stick at. He should get his hands dirty now before the next big wave.
Right
DON’T give money to unsecured bondholders or Banks
Give it to public transport hospitals education parks policing firefighting
Any questions?
The Governmemt have handled this whole debacle very poorly in my opinion. From the outset, the FG party were looking for a reduction in workers pay, the same reductions experienced in the public sector. They couldn’t directly implement the cuts so instead set about cutting the subvention year on year which was meant to force the company into a corner where they were left with no choice. The problem however was that for every cut they brought in, the company found a way of finding the saving from non payroll expenditure. This leaves the customer with much smaller trains, a poor service and increased fairs. The end game is now here and there are no more non payroll savings to be had so the staff are now being asked to take a cut. One needs only look at the size and duration of the cuts to see that this has nothing to do with saving the company. This has meerly been an exersize in how to implement pay cuts through the back door while the customer suffers. I think its a disgrace and highlights the Goverments inability to demonstrate a coherant policy on public transport.
This particular Minster is a lightweight in my opinion and lacks the intellectual stamina to intervene in a mess his own party created and could fix in the morning. Truly shameful to think that they let us, the travelling public suffer at the expense of their ideology.
Good man Paschal
glad to see you earning your money
by doing nothing
Never was very good at maths but here goes if rail company need 74 million in cost saving cuts and unions give 74 million in cost reductions from payroll and government reduce the public service subvention payment by 74 million is the net effect that the rail company are back to where they where 8 months ago and therefore the solution to the problem is not to freeze subvention but to give back the 74 million to solve the problem
And how exactly is Paschal qualified to intervene in anything? All Paschal is, is a Fine Gael ‘Yes Man’.
These muppets are ruining our Country.
Poor Paschal, in his shiny new suit, in his shiny new ministerial job being besmirched by trivial, mundane trade union smurf issues.
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