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"We're looking for a fair slice of the company we've helped build"

Luas drivers speak about their long-running dispute.

13/5/2016. Luas Drivers Strikes Disputes Luas drivers Neil Mac Donnell and Alan Kavanagh at Sandyford last week. Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

‘WE’RE BECOMING MORE entrenched.’

The Luas strike has been going for 12 days over four months with two sides who seem to be moving farther apart.

And as the dispute goes on, the patience of an already restless public has started to wear even thinner.

But drivers mounting the picket at the Red Cow in Dublin yesterday insist they’re in it for the long-haul and that the public does have an interest in supporting their fight.

First off, Luas driver Eddie Jones argues that it’s not the public’s money they’re seeking a bigger share of.

“When the profits come in, they’ll take the profits and take them to France and we don’t get the money. People aren’t realising that,” he says of Luas operator Transdev.

Jones’ argument is one that’s put forward by many drivers on the picket-line yesterday.

7/5/2016. New Luas Cross City Works The Luas Cross City will mean more work for the drivers. Sam Boal Sam Boal

They contend that they’ve been a key part of the Luas success story over the past 12 years and want a bigger slice of the pie before further planned expansions come into play.

Longer lines out to Saggart and the Point are just two that have been been built since the Luas first start rolling in 2004. The Luas Cross City service is currently being laid down in central Dublin and longer trams are also in the pipeline.

“We’re looking for a fair slice of the company we’ve helped build,” says 12-year Luas driver Ben Watson.

For nearly 12 years people have been talking about how good the Luas is. It’s won awards for punctuality of trams, customer satisfaction. People globally say, ‘Brilliant, look at Luas in Dublin it’s brilliant.’ Gerry Madden arrived here six months ago and he makes it look like he’s been here 12 years.

Pretty much every single driver who spoke yesterday mentioned Transdev Ireland’s managing director by name and the dispute certainly feels a bit personal at this point.

IMG_2543 Luas drivers Ben Watson and Niall Cahill on the picket at the Red Cow. TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

Jonathan Somers agrees. He says he feels hurt by the company of late by being demonised in the media.

“The Luas has been running for 12 years and it’s been built on the drivers’ work ethic, and everything we’ve done we’ve done to promote it from the front line.”

We’ve made it a success. Hail, rain and snow, like back in 2010 and 2011 with the heavy snows. Coming in at three o’clock in the morning, driving down the M50 on your own in a car to get in and get people to work early in the morning.

Unseen 

It’s this unseen work that the drivers point to.

They say that their shifts start as early as 4am and finish as late as 1am with drivers rostered on 364 days a year. The 172 drivers also have to work every second weekend and the Bank Holiday days they work are repaid in the form of days in lieu.

Luas strike The empty Red Cow Luas stop. Niall Carson / PA Wire Niall Carson / PA Wire / PA Wire

These hours do nothing for work-life-balance, according to Jones.

“My daughter only proved it to me yesterday,” he says.

I came in on Monday morning and I brought my daughter to school. I went into work at 12pm and came home at 9.30pm, my daughter was in bed. I did the same thing the following morning and the day after. When I came home my daughter was in bed and I was in at nine o’clock the next morning. I didn’t even see my daughter for the best part of three days. I saw her for about an hour over three days.

He says that drivers aren’t looking for these hours to be reduced but that Transdev’s plan to move shifts from from nine hours to nine-and-a-half hours needs to be properly compensated.

IMG_2546 Yesterday was the 12th day day of strike action. TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

The drivers repeatedly say that they don’t want to be on strike but that they feel like they’ve little other option. They also argue that, with privatisation becoming more prevalent in the transport sector, the stand they’re taking is a worthwhile one for transport workers in Bus Éireann, Irish Rail and so on.

Watson points out that Transdev is planning to bid for Irish bus routes that are to be put out to tender.

Increases

In terms of what they are seeking, (a detailed breakdown is available here), it’s somewhat muddled after a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) recommendation was rejected by the drivers.

That increase proposed an 18.7% rise over 33 months but the company is now saying that it will only talk to drivers if they’re on board with a 13% increase.

Sitting down at the table with a precondition of 13% would be a “humiliation”, according to one driver.

Read: FactCheck: Are Luas drivers really paid more than junior doctors? >

“Luas drivers are in resolution mode, we’ve been in resolution mode for some time now,” says driver Joe Carrick.

They are in humiliation mode. They want us to accept a deal lower than what the WRC recommended and they know our members aren’t going to accept that.

Carrick says that he wants the state’s industrial mechanisms to bring the parties to the table but that this won’t work if there are preconditions attached to it.

13/5/2016. Luas Drivers Strikes Disputes Empty tracks on the Luas Green Line. Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie Sam Boal / Rollingnews.ie / Rollingnews.ie

Simplistic

As drivers prepared for yesterday’s strike, the national media was discussing a suggestion from a Fine Gael councillor that the entire Luas system should be automated.

Such accusations have been thrown at the drivers since the dispute began, the notion that their job is ‘easy’ and therefore undeserving of a pay increase.

As every driver points out, the mechanics of the job is the smallest part of it. Staying alert and focused when you’ve been up since 3am and there are pedestrians and cyclists criss-crossing in front of you is the stressful bit.

“This is a health and safety job, people don’t understand it because they’re not doing it,” says driver Niall Cahill.

“They say it’s easy and maybe it’s easy when you’re trained up right,” according to another driver.

But mentally, driving a tram is very difficult and adding to the stress of people driving trams is not right.

IMG_2544 Luas drivers Eddie Jones and Jonathan Somers. TheJournal.ie TheJournal.ie

Other drivers make the comparison with motorists who may find it ‘easy’ to actually drive a car but mentally taxing on a four-hour car journey.

“People compare us to nurses and guards,” says Kevin Healy. “And yes that’s a very difficult job and a very responsible job and, of course, it takes much more training for what they do.

But in terms of our concentration levels, we have to be consistently on the ball. Now, you go out driving, we’re driving for three to three-and-a-half hours. And if you think about it, that’s like a drive down to Cork. Now think about having a break and having to drive back up again.

“If you’ve done that for four days in a row and you’ve been up out of your bed at five o’clock in the morning and you’ve kids on the road keeping you up and you’re not getting any sleep it becomes difficult.

A nurse, I know nurses are very busy but they may be able to stop for five minutes and have a chat or something, but we don’t have that. Every minute of our day is recorded and catalogued.

Read: Annoyed at the ongoing Luas strikes? Apply for a refund >

Read: How did it come to this?: The many twists of the never-ending Luas strike >

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370 Comments
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    Mute Scaldychops
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    Jan 7th 2014, 1:48 PM

    Why do they use the word ‘raise’ when the correct word is ‘borrow’?

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    Mute Cillian_Durkin
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:35 PM

    because that is the industry terminology since time immemorial (last decade anyways).

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    Mute David Burke
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:40 PM

    They both mean the exact same thing.

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    Mute Richie Rodgers
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    Jan 7th 2014, 3:08 PM

    Scaldychops
    Why do you continue to use the Journal in much the same way as most use Wikipedia but in this case you simply highlight how little you know on any subject.
    Perhaps you could help us further by letting us know who you are !

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    Mute Scaldychops
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    Jan 7th 2014, 3:41 PM

    Cillian/David, my point was that the word ‘raise’ is spin. It’s used by governments to avoid using the word ‘borrow’. We pay interest on this loan (well, our grandchildren will). Whilst I didn’t expect attention-seekers like Richie Rogers to get the point I thought you guys would. Having said that, you probably don’t expect nuance on the Journal, and I wouldn’t blame you!
    Anyway, I’ve just been refused help by my Credit Union to ‘raise’ Euro500 although they did say they’d give me a loan for the same amount.

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:03 PM

    Hardly a great day, borrowing billions to keep the lights on.

    If raising billion for capital expenditure on infrastructural projects then happy days.

    How much is the annual interest bill for the country for 2013 compared to previous years.

    How much is the annual interest bill as a % of tax receipts and how has that compared to previous years.

    Solving a debt crisis with more debt is madness.

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:26 PM

    You do realise that govt current expenditure is a weekly and daily occurrence but revenue is staggered at various times throughout the year. On that fact alone the govt needs an “overdraft” facility if I can put it like that. Secondly it also needs to secure funding going forward in case of severe shocks. Thirdly debt is not necessarily a bad thing if it us limited in growth to equal inflation and economic growth combined.

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    Mute Cillian_Durkin
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:38 PM

    Every country borrows, a lot do for deficit spending, like what we are doing.

    As long as the economy is growing faster than the debt and interest then happy days, it is good Governance then.

    A state’s finance cannot be compared to a family budget, unless you have a family that live for hundreds of years and use inflation to destroy debt.

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    Mute David Burke
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    Jan 7th 2014, 2:41 PM

    Well if you want to swing the axe on public spending go ahead. Might have a few problems with that though.

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jan 8th 2014, 7:59 AM

    People seem to miss the point. Media and Government are spinning it as great news for the country. Ability to borrow to add more debt to debt.

    Government is funded to the tune of 25bn to Q1 2015. NTMA went to the markets at the first possible opportunity, why do you think they done this?

    Inflation in the Eurozone is a real worry. We have experienced deflation since 2009 in pay while goods and services increase in price.

    Am not saying stop or cut spending. Am saying why has our government not done more to reduce a debt burden of banks that should not be shouldered by The people of this country. For example what happened to the EU commitment last June 2013 to buy out the governments shares in the banks. Why did the government crystallised Anglo Prom Notes into national debt, especially after we exit the bailout troika members said it was wrong to pay non secured bond holders. Why can’t the ESM return this 30bn to us, especially as Ireland has to contribute 11bn to the fund. Banking Union first non sense. Applications can not be back dated non sense. What is the government doing on that?

    Solving a debt problem with more debt doesn’t work, on a governmental or personal level.

    Debt to GDP ratio of 124% is the highest in EU and not sustainable.

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    Mute Nigel O Keeffe
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    Jan 7th 2014, 3:01 PM

    After 6 years of austerity..is it time the government borrowed to give the economy a jump start…5 billion or so spent on unemployment payments cost as much as 5 billion spent on infrastructure..
    I know there would be a gap between the first impacting on the second but surely its worth trying!

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 7th 2014, 3:25 PM

    No Nigel, the country tried that before late 70s, early 80s. It didn’t end well. We are an open economy so money spent is only partially retained within the domestic economy. Compare that with the US or Germany for example where money is much more likely to recirculate in the domestic economy. That’s one reason why large scale capital expenditure would have only short term positives with long term costs.

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    Mute Nigel O Keeffe
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    Jan 7th 2014, 3:56 PM

    I see your point but would it be worth investing locally..in a lot of small projects? Schools..remedial works on viable ghost estates..i mean ones in areas with schools and the like ..as opposed to large scale projects which would have to go for open european tender?

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 7th 2014, 4:11 PM

    Capital expenditure is necessary and small and big projects are needed. But a large scale capital expenditure program would not benefit the Irish economy in the medium to long term.

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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Jan 7th 2014, 4:22 PM

    Sure go ahead,the ability to raise or borrow another yet another €10 billion of debt on the open market just to keep the country from sinking is nothing to boast about at all when future generations will have a mountain of debt to pay back on the double, whatever happened to living within our means and not spend money we dont have,like the prevous generations lived before the bubble bust,borrowing is akin to gambling with your future,sometimes its works,and if it dont,well.

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 7th 2014, 4:54 PM

    The country has always borrowed money, every country for the last 1000 years has.

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    Mute Alan O'connor
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    Jan 7th 2014, 6:01 PM

    Wasting your time trying to explain things on here. The economic illiteracy of some commenters is staggering. Interesting that there’s been no update at the time I write that the sale of bonds was a huge success.

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    Mute Cillian_Durkin
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    Jan 7th 2014, 7:36 PM

    Richard.

    Can you point out even one successful country that has done what you propose.?

    Your proposals are well meaning but they would quickly lead to an end to long term investment and economic decline and collapse in a a short few years, even worse than we are now.

    Your ability to repay has to grow faster than your repayments. So if you are running a deficit of 3% per annum and are growing at 4% with inflation of 2%, then every year your repayments are getting smaller in real terms and your economy is growing.

    It has never been tried because it does not make financial sense.

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    Mute richardmccarthy
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    Jan 7th 2014, 11:24 PM

    At 120% of GDP our total national debt is set to cost the Irish taxpayers €10 billion just to service next year and every year there after, if there is little growth in the economy over the next few years there is little hope of reducing the interest paid not to mind start to reduce the € 200 billion debt princible, how long the country can suffer this kind of loss is anyones guess,what is 100pc certain, it is not sustainable in the long term.

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 7th 2014, 11:36 PM

    No it’s not Richard, ten years of average 2% inflation will reduce the debt in real terms by approx 25% without ever reducing the principal as you put it. The value of money decreases over time, if we stabilise the debt it will shrink naturally. Economic growth will increase our ability to service that debt. It’s a simple equation, inflation plus growth must be less or equal to any increase in debt over the long run. This is where he 3% deficit target comes from.

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jan 8th 2014, 8:03 AM

    Germany, Saudi Arabia, check out The CIA’s world fact book for more examples.

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    Mute Clive Hand
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    Jan 8th 2014, 8:05 AM

    @youneck Japan took that approach and didn’t work.

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    Mute YouNeek
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    Jan 8th 2014, 8:48 AM

    Have no idea what sort of point you are trying to make Clive

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    Mute Liam Treacy
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    Jan 7th 2014, 10:18 PM

    Maybe we should take the advice of SIPTU’s Jack or David the economist or indeed the Tanaiste before the election and burn them all even those who agreed to loan us money today.

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