Industrial action by train drivers is expected to disrupt up to 110,000 passengers today. Their union last night rejected an eleventh-hour appeal to participate in a meeting chaired by the ICTU general secretary, Mr Peter Cassells.
Pickets are due to be placed at depots in Dundalk, Drogheda, Connolly Station and Fairview from 1 a.m. today.
Disruption is expected on the DART, Dublin services to Dundalk, Drogheda, Maynooth and Arklow, and inter-city services between Dublin and Belfast, Sligo and Rosslare.
Further one-day strikes at these depots are planned for May 16th and May 22nd.
A spokesman for Iarnrod Eireann said: "While there will be serious disruption to commuters it is difficult to quantify the extent of it in advance because much depends on how many drivers from other unions will pass the pickets."
The level of disruption to DART services will depend on how much support from other unions the two drivers on strike there will receive.
Iarnrod Eireann's customer information line (1850 366 222) will be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. from today until Thursday. Information is also available on the company's website, www.irishrail.ie.
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, said the strike was "simply unnecessary".
There were no talks yesterday to avert the dispute, which is being conducted by the Amalgamated Transport and General Workers' Union on behalf of more than 100 members of its recently amalgamated branch, the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA).
Today's action is the first of nine rolling one-day strikes by ATGWU members over the next three weeks. They are in dispute with SIPTU and the NBRU, the two recognised train drivers' unions, over the ATGWU's right to represent seven ILDA workers who are facing disciplinary hearings. It has rejected an appeal by the ICTU to call off the strike pending a hearing of its case for union recognition on Thursday.
The ATGWU's Irish secretary, Mr Mick O'Reilly, insisted yesterday that union recognition was a separate issue and called on the Labour Court to intervene. "This dispute is about our right to represent seven of our members who have been disciplined."
Ms O'Rourke last night urged the ATGWU to call off its action and accept an offer by Mr Cassells to chair a meeting of the unions at Iarnrod Eireann today ahead of Thursday's meeting of the disputes committee of Congress.
"It seems to me to fly in the face of reason to press ahead with strike action with the offer of a meeting tomorrow (Tuesday) to address all matters," she said. The Minister has ruled out intervening in the dispute.
Pickets will be placed tomorrow at Cork, Mallow, Waterford, Inchicore depot, and Limerick, Athlone and Portlaoise stations. Pickets are also to be placed on these stations next Tuesday and on May 21st.
On Thursday, depots at Sligo, Ballina, Westport and Mullingar will be picketed, disrupting services in the midlands and northwest. Further picketing at these stations is due to take place on Monday and May 23rd.
