Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary says the Luas drivers are "a bunch of headbangers" and he would have sacked them all.

Luas drivers are today considering whether they will accept an 18% pay hike.

Mr O'Leary said students on their holidays could be trained to drive trams in nanoseconds.

It comes as SIPTU begins balloting its members on whether to accept Labour Court recommendations to end the four-month long dispute.

Mr O'Leary said that he would have had the row ended long ago.

“I would have sacked the whole lot of them – out you go,” he said.

“I mean, when you get a bunch of headbangers who turn down, whatever it is, say a 20% pay increase over a three-year period when inflation is less than 1%...

“For a job that’s already paid double the rate of tram drivers in Blackpool, where it takes you about 2½ nanoseconds to learn how to drive a tram, you could hire students on their summer holidays and train them to drive trams.”

He also predicted that this Government won't be able to pass a budget and there will be another election before the end of the year.

'The last government did a decent job. The electorate should be ashamed of itself.' - Michael O'Leary on the general election #BKNT — Newstalk Breakfast (@BreakfastNT) June 2, 2016

After the government's first defeat in a Dáil vote yesterday Mr O'Leary said they will struggle to pass any laws.

The Ryanair CEO said people should stop voting for what he called "local lunatics".

“The electorate should be ashamed of itself,” he said.

“I do believe in democracy, but be careful what you wish for. I mean, nobody knows what the hell the electorate voted for, because it was all elected on local lunatic issues.

“Once every two or three terms you let the lunatics loose in the asylum and see what a mess they make of it.

“We teach our children not to accept treats from strangers, but every time we go to an election we vote for whatever idiot tells us what it is we want to hear.”