Luas drivers have rescheduled a series of planned work stoppages so as not to inconvenience Leaving and Junior Cert students.

Drivers are due to hold six further strike days next month in a dispute over pay and conditions. 

Trade union SIPTU said it has changed the times of four-hour strikes planned for June 8th, 9th and 10th of June to prevent clashes with exam timetables.

Industrial action on those days will now take place from 6.00pm to 10.00pm, instead of during school hours.

A work stoppage on June 2th will take place as previously scheduled from 3.00pm. to 7.00pm. Strikes on June 3rd and 7th are also going ahead as planned from 9.00am to 1.00pm.

John Murphy of SIPTU said: “It was never the intention of our members to impact on students taking state examinations.

"When it was brought to our members’ attention that some of the scheduled work stoppages did impact on students travelling to sit the Junior and Leaving Certificate exams, the decision was immediately taken to amend their timing.”

The move comes ahead of a full-day strike tomorrow.

Transdev, the company that operates the Luas, said yesterday that SIPTU's latest round of industrial action was "designed to cause maximum disruption" to customers.

Gerry Madden of Transdev said continued strikes were "putting the company in a challenging financial position and is compromising the security of employment" for all employees.