Luas workers threaten to go on strike

Inspector Coptoor · 08-01-2016 10:13PM #1

Luas workers have voted by a margin of 99% to 1% in favour of strike action over a pay row.

A Luas driver currently starts on €30,000 which rises to €42,000 after 10 years service.
They also get an annual bonus of around €2500.

They are asking for a new starting salary of €35,000 rising to €60,000 after 10 years.

The management company has said this isn't feasible and that if they do go on strike they will not receive their bonuses for 2016.

So After Hours, what do you think?
Are they glorified monorail drivers that should be happy with their lot?
Or are they worth this rate of pay which would have a higher starting and ending salary than Gardai, nurses and teachers?

XR3i · 08-01-2016 10:14PM

will i be able to buy a new key for the tractor?

smash · 08-01-2016 10:14PM

What's this got to do with Star Wars?

PARlance · 08-01-2016 10:14PM

By George!

kneemos · 08-01-2016 10:21PM

PARlance wrote: »

By George!

El Chapo.

Uncle Ben · 08-01-2016 10:23PM

We're the fastest growing econony in Europe. Noonan found €3billion behind a sofa and he doesn't know where it came from. The public sector are getting their pay restored. Burton wants to give pensioners increases. Nurses voted for strike because of A & E conditions and are rewarded with pay rises and extra leave. The low wage are getting an increase and there are medical cards for practically everyone in the audience. And there is more to come if FG/LP are
returned .
Anyone who doesn't ask for a wage increase is mad.

bnt · 08-01-2016 10:33PM

I support a pay rise for the ones who drive the bloody things properly. Half of the drivers think the throttle is an on-off switch. In a 15-minute trip with one of those, I experience more sharp jerks than in a "happy ending" massage.

The_Valeyard · 08-01-2016 10:34PM

Was there a 1% margin of error?

Barry Badrinath · 08-01-2016 10:36PM

One word...

...Fcukthat!

NIMAN · 08-01-2016 10:39PM

A payrise of between 30% - 50%, sure what's wrong with that?

Didn't you hear, we're rich again. Rich I tells ye.

wat24 · 08-01-2016 10:45PM

Theyre gone off the rails....
Sorry couldn't resist

eeguy · 08-01-2016 10:46PM

In 5 years the Luas will drive itself.

No wonder they're lonking for more money

smash · 08-01-2016 10:51PM

NIMAN wrote: »

A payrise of between 30% - 50%, sure what's wrong with that?

Didn't you hear, we're rich again. Rich I tells ye.

And sure it's a tough job pushing a lever up and down

suicide_circus · 08-01-2016 11:16PM

Here we go again. It's actually frightening how dimwitted we are as an electorate. As a group, we are apparently incapable of being financially conservative or prudent for any length of time. The same politicians who talk about the Scandinavian model of public services are the same ones looking to buy your vote with your own money by scrapping USC/property tax/water charges/lowering prsi etc etc.

You see all that lovely free world class health care/child care/education/transport they have in Sweden/Netherlands/Finland? Yeah, if you want that we need to INCREASE the tax take in this country.

We are European by virtue of geography but much closer to American financial leanings than we'd like to admit. Me Fein-ism rules.

RDM_83 again · 08-01-2016 11:25PM

I'm pro-union, they do a lot of good for their members, the thing is they act only in their members interests and thats fair enough and beneficial for society when it helps create job stability, curbs employer abuses and giving people decent salaries they can live on.
Transport unions because they are vital infrastructure can easily exert too much power though, they should call their bluff on the Luas strikes or down the line it will end up like a situation of London Tube drivers where services are held back by people on a starting salary of 50,000 sterling demanding more.

Specialun · 08-01-2016 11:30PM

What is with this country and striking

Muahahaha · 08-01-2016 11:31PM

eeguy wrote: »

In 5 years the Luas will drive itself.

No wonder they're lonking for more money

Doubt that would ever happen even if technology allows it. Drivers are there to close the doors when the platform is clear, technology will never be able to keep up with the risks human take. Also kids on the red line would have a field day walking in front of it to make it stop then doing it again and again.

Barry Badrinath · 08-01-2016 11:31PM

Specialun wrote: »

What is with this country and striking

There's less strikes in a bowling alley!

The Randy Riverbeast · 08-01-2016 11:34PM

What does the job involve? If its 1 day of training followed by pressing the go and stop button or if its like a engineering job with taking care of stuff it has an affect on how much the salary is.

It comes down to, how much is it to replace a person and how much is a person's experience in the area worth.

Muahahaha wrote: »

Doubt that would ever happen even if technology allows it. Drivers are there to close the doors when the platform is clear, technology will never be able to keep up with the risks human take. Also kids on the red line would have a field day walking in front of it to make it stop then doing it again and again.

It would be easy for the technology. If it can drive a care it can control a tram.

MIKEKC · 08-01-2016 11:36PM

If they are not happy with the wages why did they take the job?

mikeym · 08-01-2016 11:39PM

"They are lucky to have a job".

Thats what I get sometimes.

B.A._Baracus · 09-01-2016 12:00AM

Do public transport workers have the record for most strikes in Ireland? Mainly bus drivers I guess you could say.

Infini · 09-01-2016 12:04AM

Have to say it...... Haters gonna hate.

C_C

mikeym · 09-01-2016 12:07AM

Train up the Army and let them operate the LUAS when the Luas workers go on strike.

XR3i · 09-01-2016 12:08AM

who'll feed the gondolas

NomadicGray · 09-01-2016 12:13AM

MIKEKC wrote: »

If they are not happy with the wages why did they take the job?

SO they can hold the public to ransom for better wages

zl1whqvjs75cdy · 09-01-2016 12:14AM

Too close to an election and the government will cave. Then the week after the election we'll get "o luas fares are to increase by 20 %". It's driving a glorified go cart. A monkey could do it. How they reckon they are worth 35 to 60 k is beyond me.

Corpus Twisty · 09-01-2016 12:18AM

You laugh, you Luas... 50% pay rise?? Get the bus lads. Ye aren't irreplaceable, did no one tell ye?

oppenheimer1 · 09-01-2016 12:19AM

donkeyoaty0099 wrote: »

Too close to an election and the government will cave. Then the week after the election we'll get "o luas fares are to increase by 20 %". It's driving a glorified go cart. A monkey could do it. How they reckon they are worth 35 to 60 k is beyond me.

The Luas is run by a private entity and the fares are set by the regulator. What they want is the same as IE drivers. Crazy stuff, IE drivers shouldn't be getting so much.

As its a private entity that runs Luas, the drivers won't win.

Edward Hopper · 09-01-2016 12:21AM

Good luck to them if they get it. Most workers want more money for the job they do, regardless of if me or anyone else thinks they are worth it or not. If their union helps them get more money then that union had done a good job for its members.

oppenheimer1 · 09-01-2016 12:27AM

Edward Hopper wrote: »

Good luck to them if they get it. Most workers want more money for the job they do, regardless of if me or anyone else thinks they are worth it or not. If their union helps them get more money then that union had done a good job for its members.

Not necessarily true. Union demands have often broken good companies.

Luas workers threaten to go on strike

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