Luas workers on strike at the Red Cow Luas depot last month Mark Stedman Mark Stedman

LAST THURSDAY, ST Patrick’s Day, a strike by Luas drivers in Dublin was averted by a matter of hours.

They’re currently demanding a pay increase of 27%, which would amount to a salary increase of roughly €13,000 to €55,000 over five years.

Yesterday, workers at Irish Rail announced via their union the NBRU that they are seeking pay increases of up to 25%, with the industry norms in public transport having been “brought into sharp focus” in recent weeks according to a letter from the union.

A report in today’s Irish Independent suggests that the number of people involved in industrial disputes in Ireland has rocketed from 500 to 38,000 in the last five years, with workers “becoming bolder about fighting against cuts, making claims for pay hikes and looking for wages and conditions they lost during the recession”.

But do you think Ireland’s transport workers have a point?

We’re asking: Do you sympathise with the demands of the Luas and Irish Rail workers?