FURTHER TALKS ARE scheduled at the Labour Relations Commission later this morning, as management and unions at Irish Rail enter a third day of discussions aimed at averting a strike planned for this weekend.
The National Bus and Rail Workers Union and SIPTU are planning work stoppages for Sunday and Monday, with another strike scheduled for 21 September.
Exploratory talks aimed at ending the long-running dispute took place on Saturday, with further discussions yesterday.
The row 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.
Speaking yesterday, Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe said he would not be proposing any further cuts in Government investment in Irish Rail as he negotiated his Department’s Budget.
He also said that any continuation of the industrial action would have a “negative effect on the company”.
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