Rail strikes target big Croke Park games
August 01, 2014
A general view at Croke Park ahead of the game.
©INPHO/Donall Farmer.
Fans attending this year's All-Ireland finals will be inconvenienced by rail strikes on both days.
Irish Rail workers are planning to hold 24-hour stoppages on Sunday, September 7th and Sunday, September 21st - the dates of the All-Ireland hurling and football finals respectively.
The National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) has also announced a 48-hour downing of tools commencing on Sunday, August 24th - the day of the first All-Ireland SFC semi-final.
The NRBU claims to have chosen the dates specifically to minimise the impact of their protests, but this surely defeats the purpose of striking in the first place and certainly doesn't take the thousands of GAA fans intending to travel to Croke Park into consideration.
"The decision to choose two 24-hour Sunday stoppages was taken with a view to dilute the impact on the travelling public as much as possible," says general secretary Dermot O'Leary in The Irish Independent.
"Members will already be aware that the company have resorted to nefarious activities in order to undermine the democratically mandated industrial action.
"The responsibility for such activities rests with the CEO who led the way, in attempting to interfere with the conduct of our legitimate ballot, by sending letters to staff in their homes, followed by emails in an attempt to circumvent the democratic process."
