[PR] Unions block €117 million carriages from Dublin - Cork

Chris_533976

New €117million train carriages blocked by unions

Date : 11th April 2006.
Issued By : Platform 11 Press Office
Contact : Derek Wheeler. Public Relations Officer (086) 3452651

Dublin-Cork service due to industrial relations matters, Platform 11 (Ireland's rail passengers organisation) can reveal.

The 67 Cork Dublin Express coaches have been testing since their delivery in July 2005, with a cost of €117 million to the taxpayer.Ê The carriages will be used to eventually provide an hourly service on the Dublin-Cork route from December 2006, not December 2005 as first proposed.

Although coaches normally need to undergo testing before entering service, Platform 11 is aware of no safety issues which prevent introduction of the new coaches, which are badly needed to ease overcrowding as well as to finally remove unreliable steam-heated carriages over 40 years old that are still being used on some services.

Iarnród Éireann plan to replace the role of train guards with a new position of 'train manager'. Train guards are refusing to accept this change and are blocking the introduction of the new carriages, even though they can be seen daily by passengers on antiquated, cramped trains as they pass the Iarnród Éireann works in Inchicore.

The new carriages were initially planned to be entered into service in December 2005, with successive Iarnród Éireann spokesmen pushing the date back first to January, then March.

Platform 11 is calling on unions and Iarnród Éireann to find a solution to their squabbles so that rail passengers can benefit from the first new intercity carriages since 1984. Unions have a long history of resistance to improvements in service, from longer DART carriages to extension of services to Greystones and new trains on the Maynooth line. Equally as these carriages have been on order for years we do not see why Iarnr—d ƒireann has not dealt with this issue at an earlier stage.

Bunch of morons.

http://www.platform11.org/media/press_release.php?year=2006&no=pr_06.html

Transport21 Fan

Sack them.

bryanw

Why do the unions think they can run this country...and why are they allowed to get away with this...

spacetweek

Transport21 Fan wrote:

Sack them.

In a private company they prolly would get sacked. If I was in charge, I would dearly, dearly like to.

All these stories about CIE unions simply fan the flames of my "privatatise the f**kers" viewpoint.

dmeehan

what is their actual problem with the new train managers
is they will get paid less or have to work more or are they not qualified to be a train manager, or is it just purely symbolic, threatening strike action 'cause they can :rolleyes:

MarkoP11

Anyone who travels in the UK will be familiar with the train manger concept all the main intercity operators have implemented it, its common across Europe as well.

In the modern railway the driver is responsible for the train, and the guard is responsible for the passengers. Driver only operation is widespread having begun in June 1984 first with DART subsequently extended to freight services and then to all suburban railcar services on lines with full radio coverage. This is an agreed procedure. The drivers are not complaining.

At the moment as many people complain the guard hides and is not seen on the train leading to problems with noisy and abusive passengers. The train manager would replace the guard position and would remain the most senior member of staff on the train but would now have to check the tickets and look after the passengers, shock horror. The majority of ticket checkers also hold a guards certificate so there clearly is a waste of resources. The driver has the ability to control the doors as well as the coach lights and parking brake which the guard currently does, all the train manager has to do is wave flag blow whistle. The train manger would be trained in the safety procedures. Put simply in an accident they would have to carry out the guards tasks if required.

End result is a better more passenger focused service, joe punter couldn't give a monkeys about the industrial relations mess that arises every time any step is made to improve services

Currently there are 8 trains a day Dublin Cork thats going to increase to 14-16 next year which implies a need for a significant number of extra staff, put it another way if train managers where used the number of operations staff required would be roughly the same. The exact job description is unknown but they are drawn from existing staff

Irish Rail earlier this week said discussions where going well then changed tack and denied it and won't go on record on what is going on either even when directly asked. There is a problem fact is they where at the labour court on Wednesday. The trains where supposed to go into service in late February there are no safety hang ups, so clearly things have been delayed. Back in 1987 the guards tried a 12.5% claim for the new MK3 coaches which was thrown out.

On the ground there is talk of a certain element of because they can. There won't be a strike unless IE management force the train into service. IE management well knew this would cause trouble that said these trains were ordered over 4 years ago so everyone knew they where coming and the train manager thing has been around for ages. End of the day because of this we are stuck with 43 year old trains rolling around. I've no clue who to blame but it is clear both IE management and the unions are in no hurry to fix things so as always the passenger is the one left out

bacon&cabbage

CIE are a joke but to be fair the unions have crippled the company.
I remember a few years ago Bus Eireann tried to introduduce new smaller Merc IMP buses in Waterford and Cork. The Unions blocked them (I forget the reason).
The new buses with 0 milage on the clock were sitting for months in the bus eireann yard while rats crawled up underneath them and ate all the wiring and fuel lines.
They had to be sold later on for half nothing at a huge loss to you know who.

BuffyBot

what is their actual problem with the new train managers

Well there, I suspect, is the kernel of the issue. Generally, the devil is in the detail of these things and without knowing the details, it's hard to make a proper judgement.

Victor

I'm wondering if this could be sold to the unions as promotions for the ticket checkers / guards? I realise they would look for more money, but would the drivers seek an increase to maintain the differential?

MarkoP11

End of the day joe public doesn't care this has been on going for several months while €117 million worth of kit is lying idle

The introcudtion of train managers has already taken place across the UK and in Europe so its nothing new and represents the current industry best practice. From the little information available (noting IE deny all this is happening despite being to the Labour Court last week) quite a substantial cash lump sum has been tabled.

There is an agreed pay rate and premium for one person operation for drivers

It is important to note part of the unions case is legitimate as postions are being removed (note removed) but some of the staff are not accepting the package on the table, some are. The bulk of claims the unions have made in the past have been quite greedy and opportunistic there are legimate claims which the media have twisted

BuffyBot

End of the day joe public doesn't care

I must have missed that question on the census form...

parsi

BuffyBot wrote:

I must have missed that question on the census form...

Page 45 - sub para 4

All the talk about Unions blocking things ignores a fact - that's what Unions are there to do - look after the perceived needs of their members. The criticism should be levelled at management who are rolling over and accepting this.

To be honest the Unions are doing a great job (in terms of what their job is) but management seem to be fairly useless.

MarkoP11

parsi wrote:

look after the perceived needs of their members

Thats the whole problem.

End of the day the public doesn't care about what the industrial relations problem is this week thats not our concern. What appears to be a generous package has been tabled and of course the unions want to push for more, effectively we are talking about redundancy here for jobs which no longer exist due to improvements in technology and already accepted changes in work practices

Victor

MarkoP11 wrote:

effectively we are talking about redundancy here for jobs which no longer exist due to improvements in technology

Eh, with the recent purchases do we end up with the same number of trains in operation or more?

craigybagel

More, smaller, trains but each needs less staff than the old one they replace.