Tomorrow’s Luas strike has been called off after agreement was reached with three grades of workers at Transdev.
Update 1.50pm:
After over 27 hours of talks, an agreement on pay has been reached with the majority of Luas workers, including the 172 tram drivers.
SIPTU’s Owen Reidy has said the deal, believed to be 18% over three years, is the best they can get.
Mr Reidy said: “The drivers feel it is important to test the temperature of the members and put it to a ballot.
“Next week we will make arrangements (for the ballot). We have suspended the work-to-rule and deferred the action tomorrow.
“If members accept those proposals, the dispute for those grades will be over. If they don’t, it will obviously escalate.”
Transdev managing director Gerry Madden says concessions were made on both sides.
Mr Madden said: “We have not at this stage reached a final agreement in respect of the traffic supervisor grade but do hope it will be resolved over the course of the next few days following further conversation.”
Just the traffic supervisors have failed to reach agreement, and will not be balloted at this stage but WRC chief Kieran Mulvey believes they can be brought along in time.
Update 1.10pm:
Drivers’ representatives have secured an agreement they feel they can bring back to their members – who will be balloted on the deal.
Transdev Managing Director Gerry Madden expressed relief at the progress they made after marathon talks; “I’m delighted to confirm we will have trams running on St Patrick’s Day, I can’t tell you how delighted I am to say that.
“I really am.
“We are back in the game now, families will have a good day out tomorrow, the kids will get to the parade, it is such fantastic news.
“The commission has issued four proposals in respect of three of the four grades which will be balloted on over the next week so lets give the guys a chance to bring it back to the depots hopefully it will get full hands up and we will have great news towards the end of the week or as soon as it can happen.”
Update 11.50:
A deal has been reached with two grades of Luas workers, but drivers have yet to settle on an agreement with Transdev.
Talks have been ongoing for more than 24 hours at the Workplace Relations Commission, with a strike looming for tomorrow.
Revenue Protection Officers and their supervisors agreed a deal on pay and called off their strike, but the Luas cannot operate without drivers.
Sources inside the talks say they believe a deal with drivers is imminent.
Update 10.38:
A deal is expected to be reached following marathon talks between drivers and Luas management.
However with less than 24 hours to go until the next Luas strike, negotiations at the WRC are said to be at a delicate stage.
Management and union reps have been in talks for over 24 hours in a desperate bid to reach agreement on pay for tram drivers.
After reducing their earlier claim of more than 50%, SIPTU said there was a long way to go before they were prepared to call off their strike, while Transdev said the pay demands were still too high.
A source close to the talks said negotiations were at a very delicate stage, but others believe a deal is imminent.
Drivers have seven further days of strikes planned, with tomorrow’s still a possibility, despite pleas by management to think of the travelling public on our national holiday.
