Aer Lingus workers vote for strike action
SIPTU balloted its 1,800 members in the national airline yesterday and of those 95% voted in favour of industrial action up to and including all-out strike action.
The nature of the action would be decided over the next couple of days according to SIPTU National Industrial Secretary, Michael Halpenny and he said the action could take place within the next two weeks.
The union represents almost all of the Aer Lingus workers apart from most of the cabin crew and the pilots.
The threat of industrial action has arisen over cost-cutting measures which have already seen a cut in employment terms and conditions for new recruits from February 1. The union said they were implemented without the agreement of the employees or unions.
“Now we have a very clear-cut result. That is what we have to turn our minds to,” said Mr Halpenny.
“This shows a very clear determination on the part of union members to defend their agreements and to defend themselves against unilateral attacks by the Aer Lingus management on agreed pay and conditions.
“The company have to turn their minds to honouring their agreements because that is what brought us to this in the first place.
“We have no other alternative than the action because we have tried everything. We tried the Labour Relations Commission, we brought in the National Implementation Body (NIB) at our suggestion.
“The NIB laid down a procedure but they also said people have to honour their agreements, but the company wants to go through a procedure where they are breaking agreements. We can’t have that.
“We referred the matter into the Labour Court but the company refused to go.
“This is a totally avoidable dispute, the resolution of which is in the gift of management by simply adhering to the agreements that it negotiated and by abandoning the provocative and dangerous strategy of confrontation and unilateral action.”
Aer Lingus were unavailable for comment last night.
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