Aer Rianta unions plan to disrupt EU presidency

AER RIANTA workers will issue a timetable for industrial action next Monday that will cause major disruption to Ireland’s presidency of the EU.

Monday is the deadline they have given Transport Minister Seamus Brennan to grant them an independent review of his decision to break up Aer Rianta into three companies to run Shannon, Cork and Dublin airports.

The workers claim the three airports will not be viable as separate units and will be competing against each other for a limited pool of business. But the minister says the move will help each airport grow substantially because they will have the freedom to go after their own new markets.

A spokeswoman for the minister confirmed yesterday that the minister would shortly introduce legislation to give effect to the break-up.

But she added that Mr Brennan was open to meeting the unions to discuss any concerns they may have about future working conditions.

SIPTU aviation official Dermot O’Loughlan said the group of unions representing Aer Rianta workers would proceed with its plans for industrial action if the minister refused to meet their demand for an independent review.

A special meeting of all unions representing Aer Rianta workers will be held in the Great Southern Hotel at Dublin Airport on Monday morning. These include SIPTU, IMPACT, TEEU and Mandate. The unions have a mandate for industrial action and they will publish the timetable on Monday.

While Ireland does not take over the EU presidency until next January, delegations from all member states will start arriving here shortly to prepare for meetings. It is expected that the Aer Rianta workers will disrupt these flights before Christmas.

Mr O’Loughlan said SIPTU will publish its own study next week which will show that Shannon Airport will lose around €12.5m in its first year of operation as an independent company.