Don’t Rain On Our Parade: Luas Plan To Strike On St. Patrick’s Day

Luas workers are set to continue their strike over pay, by holding two further strikes on March 8th and St.Patrick’s Day. Staff are seeking pay rises ranging from 8 – 53 per cent, but their employer Transdev has refused the request, labelling the claims unsustainable and unaffordable. Confirming the news of an updated strike, RTÉ’s Ingrid Miley tweeted:

Bad news for #Luas passengers: #SIPTU escalates industrial action with 24 hr strikes on 8th and 17th March - St Patricks Day

— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) February 15, 2016

The first SIPTU two-day strike saw 90,000 daily users caught out looking for an alternative route into the city centre. According to RTÉ, SIPTU Divisional Organiser Owen Reidy has said that they are open to negotiation, however Transdev, which lost €700,000 last year has branded the claim as excessive. As one of the biggest days in the Irish tourism calendar, the Luas has previously run every 12-15minutes as one of the main routes to the national parade running through the city centre.