Industrial action - Strike, but don’t punish the public

A LONG, hot summer of discontent is looming on the industrial relations front as 40,000 militant nurses crank up their campaign for more pay and shorter working hours and as Aer Lingus passengers brace themselves for flights to be disrupted from tomorrow at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports despite the 11th hour intervention of the Labour Court, which hopefully resolve the row.

From a jaundiced public’s viewpoint, the worrying aspect of these essential service disputes, is that the airline and health employers are digging in their heels, resisting calls to open negotiations. With a General Election looming in three months’ time, the workers hold a political ace.

They know that disputes which hit vital services like health and travel are sure to heighten fears among Coalition backbenchers who expect a tough grilling on the doorsteps. With the political contest getting tighter in the opinion polls, Fianna Fáil and the PDs are caught between a rock and a hard place.