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Unofficial picket delays scores of passengers as trains brought to a halt

By Sean O’Riordan
SCORES of angry rail passengers were left stranded yesterday morning after an unofficial picket was placed by a father and son at a key Cork-Kerry rail junction.

Many commuters are believed to have missed flights and important meetings in Dublin as a result of the action by the Mallow-based railway workers, which Iarnród Éireann claims was sparked by one of them being disciplined for “failing to discharge his duties”.

Paul Keating was joined in the action by his father David and some SIPTU and NBRU members refused to pass their picket.

As a result, the 5.30am Cork-Heuston train was terminated at Mallow and a bus was arranged to take around 30 passengers to Limerick Junction, where they were able to catch another train. The 6.55am train from Tralee to Heuston was also stopped at Mallow.

Around 140 of its passengers, including a school tour from Kerry, were told they could take a bus to Dublin, or wait for the 9.30am train. The vast majority chose the latter option.

Dingle-based marine expert Kevin Flannery said commuters were very angry that just a couple of people could hold the railway system to ransom. He had an important meeting in Dublin at noon, but at that time he was still stuck on the train at Portlaoise.

“I’ll have to try and reschedule it (the meeting) for 5pm and I don’t know if I’ll be able to get a train back,” he said. “We only found out about the disruption just as we were about to arrive in Mallow. A lot of people are very upset and very angry. A number of people who were travelling to get flights will miss them.”

An Iarnród Éireann spokesman said he regretted the disruption caused to passengers. “The unofficial action arose from disciplinary action being taken against an individual in respect of failing to discharge their duties. The individual and a colleague, rather than work through the proper procedures agreed between Iarnród Éireann and its trade unions, abandoned these processes and staged this action, which is unjustifiable,” the spokesman said.

A spokesman for the NBRU said procedures had been put in place between the union and Iarnród Éireann to address the disciplinary matter and it had recommended its members to stay within them.

The action, he added, was not supported by the union, which had instructed members who hadn’t passed the picket line to return to work yesterday afternoon, which they did.

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