Strike at airports may be averted after jobs pledge

HOPES increased last night that renewed plans for strike action at the country’s airports would be withdrawn following assurances from Transport Minister Séamus Brennan that jobs would not be lost during the break-up of Aer Rianta.

But the threat of major disruption to travel will hang over passengers until next Thursday when the four unions at the company meet to discuss a joint response to the minister’s olive branch.

Mr Brennan yesterday wrote to the unions assuring them that there would be no compulsory redundancies during the dissolution of Aer Rianta and its replacement with three new separate airport authorities in Dublin, Cork and Shannon later this year.