Brennan must come clean with unions

IF Transport Minister Séamus Brennan harboured any illusions about the ease with which unions can disrupt the country’s transport system, they were rudely dispelled yesterday as staff at Aer Rianta, the state-owned company he plans to break up, effectively brought the country’s main airports to a halt for a brief but telling period.

By now, he should be under no doubt about either the intensity of worker antagonism towards his proposal or the extent to which trust has broken down between unions and government.

It was inevitable that air travellers and holidaymakers would be caught up in the row and they became the unwitting victims of union anger as more than 900 workers at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports attended information sessions staged by SIPTU, which represents more than 70% of staff at the state-owned company. More than 500 SIPTU members turned out for the mass meetings at Dublin; 300 at Shannon, and 120 at Cork.

Flights were suspended for safety reasons when members of the emergency fire services attended the meetings. In all, 26 flights were affected, causing some knock-on delays for passengers later.

In an ominous if brief foretaste of what promises to be a long, hot summer of discontent, the events underscored the urgency of knocking government and union heads together before this scenario gets beyond control.

The unions feel aggrieved over the offhand way they have been ignored by Mr Brennan. He stands accused of reneging on a promise to keep them abreast of his thinking on Aer Rianta. The same charge is levelled at Taoiseach Bertie Ahern.

There is an urgency for both sides to realise the importance of holding realistic talks about the implications of breaking up Aer Rianta. If unions are to be convinced of the viability of replacing the monopoly operation with three independent companies, it is vital that government bring them on board. Otherwise, Mr Brennan’s brave initiative could backfire.

As evidenced yesterday, they have considerable industrial muscle. With the future of one of the most effective of all state companies in the balance, it would be unwise of the minister to go down the confrontation road.

In a bid to get their message across, the unions are meeting business interests and politicians to explain why the workers are fighting the break-up of Aer Rianta.

Clearly, Mr Brennan has questions to answer. It is still unclear, for instance, if Aer Rianta’s highly successful foreign enterprise in airport management will be continued. Nor is the future of the Great Southern Hotels group yet clear.

It is patently obvious this controversy has a dangerous potential to spiral out of control. In his capacity as minister for transport, Mr Brennan is sole shareholder of Aer Rianta and, as such, he bears a grave responsibility towards the workforce. Similarly, the unions have a duty to avoid doing anything likely to damage either the company or the economy.

It is palpably clear, from the angry mood of yesterday’s meetings, that union members, who fear for their livelihoods, are committed to supporting whatever line of action their leaders propose.

If an escalation of this dispute is to be averted, it behoves Mr Brennan to take the unions into his confidence. Unless he is prepared to spell out his intentions in clear, transparent and unequivocal terms, the country’s airports will inevitably face further industrial unrest.