Irish Rail staff to go on strike for five days in November and December

Staff at Irish Rail have announced the plans for a series of 24-hour stoppages as part of a pay dispute.

The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) and SIPTU confirmed the five dates in November and December on Friday afternoon. The work stoppages are on:

• Wednesday, November 1
• Tuesday, November 7
• Tuesday, November 14
• Thursday, November 23
• Friday December 8

A joint statement from unions said: "Following a meeting this afternoon, the Trade Union Group representing all workers at Irish Rail, in pursuance of a long overdue flat pay award, have decided to serve notice on the Company for the following series of industrial actions. "The Trade Union Group will conduct reviews on an ongoing basis and may decide to escalate the action by way of increased frequency and duration. "The responsibility for this dispute lies squarely with the CEO and his management team at Irish Rail. "The treatment meted out to staff over the last number of months, and in particular the debacle which occurred at the WRC last evening, has been nothing short of contemptuous and will make a resolution to this dispute even more difficult, if not now impossible. "It is an unfortunate consequence that tens of thousands of commuters are now going to be discommoded as a result of the intransigence of Irish Rail." SIPTU previously said that 84 per cent of its members at Irish Rail had voted in favour of industrial action, while 92 per cent of NBRU members were in favour.