On 17 July 2001, a "review group" on the state-owned railway company, Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann), published a report entitled /Iarnród Éireann: The way forward/. The proposals include the creation of a new internal joint industrial council, annual bonuses for keeping industrial peace for five years, management reforms and the end of "restrictive practices".
A report on Ireland's state-owned railway company, Irish Rail, published in July 2001, states that radical measures are needed to improve its industrial relations, such as the creation of a new internal disputes body, a five-year "peace deal" and an end to long-established restrictive practices.
On 17 July 2001, a "review group" on the state-owned railway company, Irish Rail (Iarnród Éireann), published a report entitled Iarnród Éireann: The way forward. The proposals include the creation of a new internal joint industrial council, annual bonuses for keeping industrial peace for five years, management reforms and the end of "restrictive practices".
The report was the work of a three-member body, known as the "three wise men": John Dunne, a former director general of the Irish Business and Employers Confederation (IBEC); Bill Attley, a former general president of the Services Professional and Technical Trade Union (SIPTU;) and Kevin Bonner, a former secretary of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment. The body was asked in January 2001 to come up with a report in the wake of a number of serious strikes in the company, especially a crippling 10-week strike in summer 2000 (IE0008154F) that was sparked by a union recognition dispute involving a breakaway group of train drivers, known as the Irish Locomotive Drivers' Association (ILDA) (IE0009219N).
The proposed Irish Rail joint industrial council (JIC) would be able to make binding decisions on disputes, but because of the voluntarist nature of the industrial relations system in Ireland, assent to the JIC's right to issue binding decisions would have to be agreed voluntarily. In other words, its decisions could not be legally enforced.
The aim behind the JIC proposal is the replacement of the normal route that disputes follow in Irish Rail - via the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) and the Labour Court. The industrial relations climate has been so poor in Irish Rail that the Labour Court has, on more than one occasion, effectively declined to issue recommendations in a number of cases, suggesting instead a return to local talks.
The proposed JIC would be able to deal with all issues of pay, conditions of employment and discipline. The system, if agreed, would not allow for disputes to be referred to outside agencies. JICs have operated quite successfully in the state-owned electricity company, the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) and, more recently, in the state-owned broadcasting company, RTE.
However, the report, although given a generally favourable response by the company and the trade unions, has already been undermined to some extent by unofficial industrial action by train drivers who are members of SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU on 24-25 July 2001. They were objecting to a Labour Court recommendation on a pay relativity claim by the drivers.
Eurofound recommends citing this publication in the following way.
Eurofound (2001), Irish Rail report calls for internal disputes body, article.
