Advertisement

We need your help now

Support from readers like you keeps The Journal open.

You are visiting us because we have something you value. Independent, unbiased news that tells the truth. Advertising revenue goes some way to support our mission, but this year it has not been enough.

If you've seen value in our reporting, please contribute what you can, so we can continue to produce accurate and meaningful journalism. For everyone who needs it.

'The minister is talking about the Man United game instead of the rail strike'

Industrial action by Irish Rail workers affected many commuters in November.

original Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie Sam Boal / RollingNews.ie / RollingNews.ie

TENS OF THOUSANDS of commuters were affected by Irish Rail strikes this year.

Two days of strike action took place in early November, but a further three days of industrial action planned for later that month and early December were called off on 10 November.

The industrial action was suspended so workers could be balloted on Labour Court recommendations. On 8 December, they accepted the deal.

At the time, the unions involved said in a joint statement: “The proposals include annual pay increases of 2.5% for three years. These will come into effective on 1 December 2017, 1 December 2018 and 1 December 2019.”

In a separate statement, Irish Rail thanked the Labour Court for “arranging a hearing of the issues surrounding the current dispute, and for the urgency with which it considered the submissions and issued its recommendation”.

The Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport (DTTS) received a number of complaints about the strike from members of the public, which TheJournal.ie has seen following a Freedom of Information request.

‘Holding the country to ransom’ 

On 31 October, one person asked the department why it was “allowing The Irish Rail Union to hold the entire country to ransom”.

The following day, another person said they were “very frustrated at the lack of noise about this rail strike today”.

They sent the department a screenshot of Transport Minister Shane Ross’s Twitter account “in which he is just talking about the Man United game last night as opposed to the imminent rail strike”.

sport Shane Ross / Twitter Shane Ross / Twitter / Twitter

The person said they worked in a family-run retail business and November marked “the beginning of our busiest period, and an essential period for survival”.

“Dublin city have made their best efforts over the last few years to prevent cars from getting to town, and we are now held ransom to the service they so heavily want to rely on. Can you let me know what’s happening or do we have to put up with this for the rest of November?” they wrote.

‘I could have flown from Dublin to Prague quicker’

On 8 November, another person asked Ross: “Can you please advise on what you are doing about the ongoing dispute with Irish Rail? To date you have done nothing to fix this.”

The person said they had paid €38 in bus fares to date and were annoyed Bus Éireann wouldn’t accept their rail ticket “even though they all report back to the same CIE board”.

Would you pay for a service twice? If the scheduled strikes all go ahead I will be out of pocket by €100.00 which I am sure that to you this is small change but this means that my family will be short €100.00 this Christmas.

The next day, a person wrote to Ross saying their normal morning commute from Portmarnock in Dublin to Bray in Wicklow “is anywhere from 2-2.5 hours and the return is usually about 2 hours”.

Due to the rail strike the day before, they said it took them almost two hours and 40 minutes to get to work in the morning “because of the extra traffic caused by the strike” and three hours to get home.

“I could have flown from Dublin to Prague and had 1 hour and 8 minutes to spare. Please intervene in this “dispute” because the services for public transport in this country are shockingly poor as it is without the chaos that was caused yesterday,” the person wrote.

In a statement to TheJournal.ie in November, Ross said: “I sincerely call on all parties to the Iarnród Éireann pay dispute to continue to use the services of the Labour Court and the WRC.

“It is vital for the travelling public – and also for the staff and for the company itself – that public transport is sustained, and that the dispute is resolved in a realistic, fair and workable manner.”

Read: The three remaining Irish Rail strikes have been suspended

Read: Decision time as Labour Court to issue recommendation on ending Irish Rail strike

Readers like you are keeping these stories free for everyone...
A mix of advertising and supporting contributions helps keep paywalls away from valuable information like this article. Over 5,000 readers like you have already stepped up and support us with a monthly payment or a once-off donation.

Close
27 Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic. Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy here before taking part.
Leave a Comment
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Great White Hope
    Favourite Great White Hope
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 10:55 AM

    So many jokes here.. ahh

    243
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jason Flynn-Wall
    Favourite Jason Flynn-Wall
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 10:57 AM

    @Great White Hope: way too many.

    82
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Mulligan
    Favourite John Mulligan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:12 AM

    @Great White Hope: I won’t fall into that trap….

    82
    See 1 more reply ▾
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alex Marquis
    Favourite Alex Marquis
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 4:47 PM

    @John Mulligan: will try my best not to either.

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Fr Romeo sensini.
    Favourite Fr Romeo sensini.
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:08 AM

    And yet we still re elect them.

    189
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Dave Hammond
    Favourite Dave Hammond
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:15 AM

    @Fr Romeo sensini.: as Dermot Morgan said during the hey day of satire on Scrap Saturday – the hardest thing about writing humour about our politicians in leinster house is that the reality of what goes on is such a joke shop it’s difficult to make stuff up that funnier

    152
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Theresa Cahill
    Favourite Theresa Cahill
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:47 AM

    What kinda of a pension do they get?
    At least they are turning up on a daily basis

    90
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Johnes
    Favourite John Johnes
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 10:56 AM

    Arent rats mice and slugs working in leinster house?

    129
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Mulligan
    Favourite John Mulligan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:12 AM

    @John Johnes: you’ll have to do better than that

    68
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Stephen Carslake
    Favourite Stephen Carslake
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:00 AM

    Sure we have known for years its full of RATS and leaks.

    108
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ciaran
    Favourite Ciaran
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:55 AM

    @Stephen Carslake: Sinn Fein won’t stand for that .. they will find a bog for them somewhere ..

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute john maughan
    Favourite john maughan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 12:10 PM

    Workers also found sloths, snakes, cheetahs, several white elephants and a cockortoo.

    40
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ernie Gallagher
    Favourite Ernie Gallagher
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:56 AM

    You regularly read of restaurants closed down for less.

    44
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Andy mc Laughlin
    Favourite Andy mc Laughlin
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:08 AM

    How many legs do the rats have?

    57
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute l
    Favourite l
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:16 AM

    Pay peanuts get monkeys, pay to much get Rodents & sluggss.

    70
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Anthony Kielthy
    Favourite Anthony Kielthy
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:43 AM

    And that was before they checked for vermin !

    52
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Munster1
    Favourite Munster1
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:13 AM

    That’s not a very nice thing to say about our TD’s.

    29
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sumsoar Khan
    Favourite Sumsoar Khan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 10:59 AM

    Waterford Whispers?

    25
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Franny Ando
    Favourite Franny Ando
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 1:01 PM

    I’m sure they felt right at home.

    23
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Jonathan
    Favourite Jonathan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:50 AM

    I knew about the rats

    27
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Sarah Roche
    Favourite Sarah Roche
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 12:00 PM

    Only 6 months??? Are we sure about that?

    21
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Caitlin Far
    Favourite Caitlin Far
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 1:01 PM

    Them and then there’s the politicians.

    14
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Martin O Connell
    Favourite Martin O Connell
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 11:39 AM

    Shurr there’s been a massive SF infestation, there’s no getting rid of them.

    18
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Franny Ando
    Favourite Franny Ando
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 1:03 PM

    @Martin O Connell: Correct they are there to stay:)

    16
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute JAMES KELLY
    Favourite JAMES KELLY
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 1:40 PM

    Will they have to apply for re-election ?

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Catherine Doyle
    Favourite Catherine Doyle
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 2:03 PM

    I’m sure they felt at home

    11
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute James Delaney
    Favourite James Delaney
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 1:58 PM

    This is just to easy

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute M
    Favourite M
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 12:55 PM

    We all have to have a crack at a few one liners. Come on people

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Ger O'Reilly
    Favourite Ger O'Reilly
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 12:29 PM

    That’s no way to talk about our TD’s

    7
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Csilla
    Favourite Csilla
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 3:42 PM

    This headline is actually very funny and hits the nail on the head.

    10
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Alex Marquis
    Favourite Alex Marquis
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 4:47 PM

    Ah cmon lads. The most clickbaity piece I have ever seen in the Journal and that’s telling something.

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute John Quill
    Favourite John Quill
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 9:50 PM

    I pity the rodents

    3
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Helen Kiely-O'Regan
    Favourite Helen Kiely-O'Regan
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 6:49 PM

    Sure leinster house is full of them already, the rats, mice and slugs will have to move elsewhere. Better still, leave them, they won’t cost the country any money in salaries and pensions

    5
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Connie O Reilly
    Favourite Connie O Reilly
    Report
    May 13th 2022, 7:05 PM

    At least they appear for what they are

    2
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Padraig Thornton
    Favourite Padraig Thornton
    Report
    May 14th 2022, 5:48 PM

    Id say they feel quite at home!!

    1
    Install the app to use these features.
    Mute Hear me now
    Favourite Hear me now
    Report
    May 14th 2022, 6:33 AM

    The jokes just write with that headline

    1
Submit a report
Please help us understand how this comment violates our community guidelines.
Thank you for the feedback
Your feedback has been sent to our team for review.

Leave a commentcancel

 
JournalTv
Video Player is loading.
Current Time 0:00
Duration 0:00
Loaded: 0%
Stream Type LIVE
Remaining Time 0:00
 
1x
    • descriptions off, selected
    • captions off, selected
      News in 60 seconds