Legal move won’t fly

The Minister for Transport Leo Varadkar has described the Aer Lingus decision to sue SIPTU for damages to the tune of millions as being unhelpful.

The decision to sue SIPTU’s policy advisor Dermot O’Loughlin personally tells its own tale. Unfortunately, this drama takes the attention and focus away from where it should be right now — on bringing this dispute to a fair and equitable conclusion.

Behind the headlines are workers who are worried about how they will be able to provide for themselves in their retirement. The decision to withhold gain share payments (payments made to staff in recognition of productivity increases under the Greenfield savings programme) is also unhelpful to creating an environment for meaningful engagement.