Rail services in Cork and Kerry are expected to suffer significant disruption again tomorrow due to industrial action by drivers, Iarnród Éireann said.
A number of services did not run today and it is likely the disruption will continue tomorrow.
“The stoppage by drivers commenced following a refusal by a Cork-based driver to drive his train within his core roster this morning, to facilitate training of new trainee drivers,” an Iarnród Éireann spokesman said.
Cork to Dublin and Cork to Kerry services were not operating today after drivers refused to work their rostereed trains and Irish Rail said it was attempting to provide bus transfers on the affected services.
Iarnród Éireann said drivers were refusing to facilitate training for new train drivers and that they were refusing to drive trains within their normal rosters.
“These duties are core parts of drivers’ terms of employment, and the refusal to undertake them is resulting in unnecessary cancellation of services,” the company said.
The company said drivers had been instructed by the Labour Relations Commission and by their unions Siptu and the NBRU, during negotiations last March, to cooperate with the training programme as a basis for continuing talks on wider issues.
“Despite drivers refusal to do this, Iarnród Éireann continued the negotiations in order to be constructive and address all issues,” it saidt said the situation whereby drivers were refusing to cooperate with training had now become “unsustainable and intolerable”.
It urged drivers to immediately recommence driving trains as rostered to ensure there would be no unnecessary disruption to customers.
Iarnród Éireann said all services from Cork to Dublin tomorrow morning will be disrupted. The 7.00am and 08.00am Heuston to Cork trains are likely to operate to Mallow only, with bus transfers from Mallow to Cork. The
remainder of morning services are expected to be cancelled.
Union officials were understood to be meeting with management in Cork tonight and could not immediately be contacted for comment.