Airport’s €15m check-in opens as staff row solved

A NEW €15 million check-in area at Dublin Airport finally opened last night — a week behind schedule.

The delay had been caused by a stand-off between the airline operating the new Area 14, Aer Lingus, and the union representing disgruntled baggage handlers.

The handlers suggested the new facility represented a worsening of working conditions and refused to move to the basement area. They claimed it was not purpose built, was noisier, hotter and more congested than their usual facilities.

In response, the company sent a letter to workers saying they would be removed from the payroll unless they complied.

The handlers’ union SIPTU put in a demand for €1,000 per year in compensation. However, the company would not bow to that, saying customers were currently checking in at an overcrowded area on the departure floor and that could not continue.

The company also said the Health and Safety Authority had cleared the conditions in the new facility.

“We can’t have a situation as a publicly limited company and as a competitive airline in a very competitive market, that every time we initiate some degree of change we have to pay some form of compensation or we are held to ransom by a small group of staff,” said Aer Lingus commercial director Enda Corneille yesterday morning.

A few hours later, Aer Lingus chief Dermot Mannion led the company delegation into talks with SIPTU. After five hours, the two sides emerged with an agreement.

While the union did not get the payout it wanted, Noel Maguire of its Aer Lingus branch said it did secure a commitment to address a number of issues, including a review of staffing levels and an undertaking to examine certain aspects of the working environment on a monthly basis.

The first flight was due to pass through the facility last night.

Area 14 has been dogged by controversy since it was first proposed Ryanair was initially supposed to take it but later refused to relocate its staff until the airport authority agreed a new deal on airport charges. Eventually it was offered to Aer Lingus who spent most of May customising it to requirements.