Industrial action - Realism and sanity must prevail

IRRESPECTIVE of whether or not you support the Irish Aviation Authority’s (IAA) suspension of 14 air traffic controllers or IMPACT’s reaction, which disrupted 20,000 travellers on Wednesday, you will not be surprised that the protagonists will attend the Labour Court this morning.

Let us hope this is the start of the inevitable process that will resolve this damaging dispute. This country has more than enough problems without airports being closed because of a dispute led by a relatively small number of well-paid, semi-state employees.

What was achieved by the polarising, reputation-shredding action on Wednesday? Little enough but another round of airport misery, and lost opportunities, for those planning to fly in or out of the country.

Air traffic controllers will argue that it forced IAA to the Labour Court, a development they say they would have welcomed at any point. Whether the court eventually rules in their favour or not remains to be seen.

Though IMPACT insists the dispute was over the suspension of workers, the IAA say it is rooted in a 6% pay claim and a plan to get air traffic controllers to make pension contributions. If the IAA contention is accurate the controllers will find that a considerable number of people have little enough sympathy for them.

Both positions can’t be right and, unfortunately, it is left to the neutral observer to make up their own mind. Hopefully the Labour Court process will establish which of the two contentions is valid.

Sadly, what is absolutely true is that a relatively minor dispute got out of hand and had consequences way beyond its significance. As we face into a period when confrontation between Government and its employees is anticipated we should all consider what is appropriate action and what is disproportionate.

Yesterday, Health Service Executive (HSE) management told staff that industrial action planned for next week should not put patients at risk. The HSE also pointed out that they want employees to co-operate with the implementation of change and reforms.

The HSE is right on both fronts.

Unions have said they will boycott all modernisation and change programmes in protest at budget pay cuts. They also intend to work to rule.

Though it is not meant to be divisive, even saying that private sector workers enthusiastically embrace modernisation and reform if it makes jobs more secure is now seen as being confrontational and part of an imagined and “co-ordinate campaign against public sector workers”. Some people, including very many who should know better, have become that entrenched and that deluded.

Though every worker has a right to take action to protect their conditions, do they have right to block reform or modernisation? After all, this process is about improving services for everyone while using public resources more efficiently. Surely workers who put their own interests before reform — which everyone has agreed is necessary — are undermining their own case? Surely they are making themselves part of the problem rather than the solution?

Using leverage legitimately is one thing but social sabotage is another. We are on a tightrope and any fall will make our situation even more difficult that it already is. Realism and sanity must prevail.