Good morning colleagues,

Unions representing workers in the CIÉ transport group have warned that the group could collapse under the weight of its pension liabilities if asset values fell in any future economic downturn.

Elsewhere, the RTÉ Trade Union Group told the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Arts, Communication and Media yesterday that offering existing RTÉ programmes "out to tender" to outside production companies "does not enhance the cultural life of this nation," while  a medical clinic receptionist has claimed she was forced to quit because her employer failed to address a “toxic” work atmosphere after she said a colleague repeatedly called her a “lazy b***h” to her face. Stephen Bourke reports that the adjudicator has adjourned the matter to later in the summer.

Meanwhile, Tusla continues to see a “rapid increase” in the number of children arriving unaccompanied in Ireland to seek international protection, while legal proceedings have been initiated against the Department of Housing after it pulled out of a public-private partnership (PPP) agreement at the “11th hour” over value-for-money concerns.

Zen this morning is new music from Rival Consoles. The album Landscape from Memory was released last Friday, and the video for Soft Gradient Beckons includes a short film about the creation of the hypnotic visuals by artist Anthony Dickenson. I hope this becomes a regular feature of new music releases, not least because a film like this provides some reassurance that AI has had no hand in the finished product.

Have a great day.

Niall Shanahan