Train-drivers in Iarnrod Eireann's two recognised trade unions have voted by three to two for a new annualised hours agreement that should open the way for talks on new work practices and pay deals with 3,000 other railworkers.
The result has been welcomed by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Ms O'Rourke, who said that it would benefit the company, the employees and, most importantly, the travelling public.
The deal means drivers will work five days a week instead of seven. It provides for pensions to be increased from £51 a week to £102 and raises basic pay from £17,500 a year to between £23,000 and £29,500, depending on hours worked. It also improves sick and holiday pay.
However, the result has been cast in doubt by the refusal of the new Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA) to accept the ballot result. It says that two-thirds of drivers remain opposed to the deal which, it claims, is divisive and could threaten passenger safety.
Yesterday it wrote to the Health and Safety Authority itemising its objections to the new working hours. It has also mounted a High Court challenge to the company's right to introduce the new work practices and asked the court to rule that the ILDA be recognised as a trade union.
However, the mood at the count of the ballot, under the auspices of the chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission, Mr Kieran Mulvey, yesterday in Dublin was optimistic. A total of 195 drivers out of just over 300 voted. Of these 112 accepted the deal.