Labour Court declines to recommend drivers choose M50 routes

In 2002, the Labour Court declined to recommend that Wincanton Ireland Ltd drivers choose their own routes on the Statoil contract, after a dispute with the Services Industrial Professional Technical Union over use of the M50. The union argued that the motorway reduced traffic stress and kept tankers off city roads. The company said M50 use added about €68,940 a year in costs and argued that routes through more densely populated areas to reach the motorway posed greater risks. The Court said there was no evidence supporting the health and safety concerns and recommended that the route issue be clearly defined in further discussions. The recommendation was signed on 18 December 2002.