Latest news with #MaryamEslamdoust
Belfast Telegraph
18-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Translink confirms planned strike action during Open tournament ‘withdrawn' following last-minute deal
Members of the union group, Transport Salaried Staff Association (TSSA) working at Translink initially planned strike action for July 18 and 19, the second and third days of the Open competition in Portrush and the days likely to see the peak number of visitors flocking to the north coast. Around 280,000 spectators are expected over the next few days, with many using trains and buses to get there. The scheduled walk out was due to take place on midnight Friday. It would have included clerical staff, management, as well as professional and technical grades in the organisation. However, after extensive stalks over the past two days with the Labour Relations Agency (LRA), union officials and Translink, a last minute deal was struck. It was confirmed that union members would accept an agreed upon pay rise, halting the walk out. 'All proposed industrial action for today/tomorrow, 18–19 July has been withdrawn,' a Translink spokesperson said. 'All services are operating as scheduled including the special coach, bus, rail, and Park and Ride services for the 153rd Open Golf Championship in Portrush. The Open: International visitors share views on Portrush 'Full timetable details are available via the Journey Planner app and website Stating that 'significant progress' had been made, TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said: 'We feel that sufficient progress has been made with Translink to suspend the planned strikes. 'This is not an end to the matter because it will now be up to our clerical and MPT members to decide if the offers made are good enough. 'From the start we have only asked for fairness and parity with other workers at Translink, and we could have reached this point some time ago had the company been in listening mode. 'Our members play a vital role - keeping public transport running safely every day of the year, with all the responsibility that entails – they should be paid accordingly.'
BBC News
18-07-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Planned industrial action by transport workers halted
Planned industrial action by transport workers in Northern Ireland this weekend has been than 200 workers from the Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) have been involved in a dispute over days of industrial action were due to start on Friday, which could have disrupted some rail and bus services, ahead of The Open at Royal said that a "breakthrough" for its members came after two days of talks with union officials and Translink representatives, at the Labour Relations Agency. It said that last week, TSSA members working in supervisor grades (including railway controllers) at Translink had "accepted an offer of a pay rise which also halted a walkout" for Friday and said that the new offers will now be put to TSSA members "across the relevant groups. TSSA added that it "does not, at this stage, bring the dispute to a close but does suspend all planned industrial action".Maryam Eslamdoust, general secretary of TSSA, said the union feels "that sufficient progress has been made with Translink to suspend the planned strikes". "This is not an end to the matter because it will now be up to our clerical and MPT members to decide if the offers made are good enough," she added."Our members play a vital role - keeping public transport running safely every day of the year, with all the responsibility that entails – they should be paid accordingly."
Belfast Telegraph
11-07-2025
- Business
- Belfast Telegraph
Strike action threat could derail golf fans heading to The Open in Portrush
Around 280,000 spectators are expected at the North Coast venue over the tournament and practice days, which will be the biggest sporting event ever to be held in the country. The Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) has said strike action is planned for Friday and Saturday, July 18-19, for some of its members, which could halt Translink's rail service to the town. Strike action is part of an ongoing pay dispute with Translink. An offer to settle, received on Wednesday from Translink, was rejected by members, with services across Northern Ireland set to be affected. Members who work in supervisor grades (including railway controllers), as well as clerical, management, professional and technical grades (MPT), overwhelmingly voted for both strike action and action short of a strike. Within supervisor grades at NI Railways, over 90% voted in favour of strike action, with similar results in other areas, including Ulsterbus and management grades at NI Railways, with over 80% support. 'We are keen to meet Translink to resolve the ongoing disputes for all our members,' said TSSA general secretary Maryam Eslamdoust. 'However, so far, the company has only made an inadequate offer to the supervisor grades and completely ignored our clerical and MPT members. This is not the way to resolve a pay dispute. 'I met the Infrastructure Minister, Liz Kimmins, last week to impress the urgency of this issue. 'Regrettably, it seems that both Translink and the minister are sitting on their hands and hoping that these disputes will go away. That's simply not going to happen. 'Ultimately the responsibility for any disruption during The Open rests with Translink and the minister. 'All we are asking for is the same deal that has been offered to other staff in Translink. The company is trying to fob us off with less, but TSSA members have shown, with their overwhelming support in the ballot for strike action, that they are not prepared to accept that. 'TSSA urges Translink to return to the table immediately with a fair and meaningful offer for all our members. Otherwise, we'll see them on the picket line.' If the industrial action goes ahead, it would involve widespread disruption to rail services, not just in Portrush. Who is Rory McIlroy and what is golf's Career Grand Slam? Translink has planned special buses and trains to Portrush, while maintaining approximately 13,000 services a day across the network. The first official practice day at The Open is Sunday, with the four-day championship teeing-off on Thursday. About 300 Translink workers are in the union, which issued a warning last month that events such as The Open could be impacted if members take industrial action due to no settlement having been agreed. A Translink spokesperson said: 'We continue to engage with our trade union TSSA to reach an agreement that will not impact passenger services.' 'The union and Translink are still in negotiations in the hope a resolution can still be found ahead of next week's tournament. 'Thousands of golf fans are expected to travel from the Republic of Ireland, with the more frequent train service to and from Dublin making transportation to and from the venue easier.'
BBC News
17-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Railway staff at Translink vote for industrial action
A union representing more than 300 Translink workers has warned of potential disruption after members voted in favour of industrial action in a dispute over Transport Salaried Staffs' Association (TSSA) represents mostly workers in NI Railways in clerical, administrative, supervisory and managerial have voted for both action short of strike and walkouts with the union saying any action "raises the prospect of services being reduced or failing to run at all in the face of action taken over the summer months". Translink said that it had "proposed a pay increase, in line with other public sector pay rises". Why might workers walk out? The company said it "remains committed to reaching an agreement that will not impact passenger services". TSSA said members in "control roles" at NI Railways are "equivalent" to air traffic controllers for trains and are "essential" for railway safety. If control workers were to go on strike, trains would not be able to run, according to the union. TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said members had "given an overwhelming mandate". "Translink's refusal to offer a fair deal has left us no option but to prepare for industrial action."Our union does not take this step lightly, but we have been left with no choice after other grades in Translink were offered the equivalent of a 5.77% pay increase, yet our members are expected to accept less for doing critical work that keeps Northern Ireland moving."Unless Translink and the Department for Infrastructure urgently step up with a meaningful offer, they will bear full responsibility for the disruption facing the public this summer," she added. The GMB union, which also represents NI Railway staff, is currently balloting its members over industrial Department for Infrastructure has been contacted for comment.
Dubai Eye
13-05-2025
- Dubai Eye
Power failures cause disruption on London Tube
Power failures caused delays and disruption on London's Tube network on Monday, as several of its busiest lines were suspended. The Bakerloo line was completely suspended as of 1715 local time (1615 GMT), while other services including the Jubilee, Elizabeth and Piccadilly lines were facing severe or minor delays following a power outage more than two hours earlier. Transport for London (TfL) said it was working to get the whole network back to normal service as quickly as possible. "Due to a brief interruption of the power supply to our network, several lines lost power for a short period earlier this afternoon," TfL Chief Operating Officer Claire Mann said in a statement. Britain's National Grid confirmed that a fault on its transmission network had caused a power failure. "The fault was resolved within seconds and did not interrupt supply from our network, but a consequent voltage dip may have briefly affected power supplies on the low voltage distribution network in the area," a spokesperson said. The incident also caused a small contained fire which was brought under control, National Grid said. The potential for power failures to cause major disruption came into sharp focus in March when London's Heathrow Airport was forced to shut for 18 hours due to a fire at a nearby electrical substation, stranding hundreds of thousands of air travellers. Transport trade union TSSA called for an inquiry into the incident to ensure a similar power outage does not happen again. "Safety for all is key at this moment, but in due course we will need a proper inquiry into what happened and the lessons to be learned," TSSA General Secretary Maryam Eslamdoust said.
