Easter weekend in the capital is set to be a chaotic one in terms of public transport, as Luas trams will remain at their depots.

Drivers have rejected the proposed pay deal, so two more days of stoppages are going ahead on Easter Sunday and Monday. The financial damage, and also the public image of Dublin on such a marked occasion as the 1916 centenary weekend, will be devastating. Up to 250,000 people are expected on the city’s streets for the celebrations.

The original pay claim by Luas drivers called for up to 53% increases over seven years. This amount was later reduced, and the company operating Luas, Transdev, tabled an offer of 18% increase, which would have meant that a driver earning 42,247e would see that amount rise to 50,000e by 2019, plus a bonus of 3,250e.

This has now been rejected, and the offer has been binned.

Gerry Madden, Transdev managing director, has expressed disappointment at the driver’s stance and said that the offer was at the “very outer limits of what we could afford”.

“For this to be rejected is deeply disappointing,” he said.

The company will consider its options and issue an appropriate response in due course.

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