Govt and unions reach deal on Aer Rianta break-up

The Government and trade unions have reached agreement on a deal to facilitate the break-up of Aer Rianta, according to SIPTU.

The trade union said the deal was reached in the early hours of this morning during talks on a new national pay agreement.

SIPTU said that, under the deal, Aer Rianta workers’ job security and terms of employment would remain the same as they are at present.

The Government is planning to break Aer Rianta into three companies to run Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports as independent, competing entities.

Speaking about the deal today, SIPTU spokesman Padraig Yeates said it did not mean that the break-up of Aer Rianta would definitely go ahead or that the trade unions supported the break-up.

Mr Yeates said the deal would allow for the establishment of independent boards to run Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports.

These boards would then produce business plans that would have to be approved by Finance Minister Charlie McCreevy before the break-up could go ahead.

Mr Yeates said the unions remained to be convinced that these business plans would support the proposed break-up.