Efforts were continuing last night to resolve the dispute between Iarnrod Eireann and two of its employees in Cork, which could cause further disruption to passenger and freight services this Sunday. The company is also taking disciplinary action against drivers who refused to operate trains during an unofficial dispute in Athlone last Friday.
Both disputes involved senior members of the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association. Friday's dispute led to the disruption of train services for hundreds of passengers between Dublin and the west, while the decision of Cork drivers to take Sunday as a rest day halved the number of passengers Iarnrod Eireann could carry to the south-west.
Last night the Cork division of the ILDA said that it would be urging drivers to make next Sunday another rest day, if the association's president, Mr Christy Holbrooke, did not receive a letter saying he was entitled to represent fellow employees, if requested, at disciplinary hearings.
Mr Holbrooke is also seeking confirmation that he will be paid by the company for time off taken to represent a colleague at a disciplinary hearing on June 24th. The executive council of the association has already sanctioned national action by members next Sunday if Mr Holbrooke does not receive the necessary assurances.
However, the executive secretary of the ILDA, Mr Brendan Ogle, said the association was not planning any action in support of drivers suspended last Friday. Mr Ogle said the association did not want to aggravate the situation and the drivers concerned would be using recognised procedures to fight their cases.
The drivers took action in support of Mr Ogle, who said he was being victimised for ILDA membership and felt too stressed to operate his train on Friday. After the company gave Mr Ogle a letter confirming his right to represent colleagues at disciplinary hearings, normal service was resumed.
The company said last night that Mr Holbrooke and a SIPTU member had not been paid for attending a disciplinary hearing on June 24th, because they had not observed normal procedures and had not returned to the duty roster after the hearing ended. In relation to the disciplinary proceedings against the Athlone drivers, the company spokesman said the drivers' action was "intolerable and cannot happen again".