Unions threaten to strike over airport plans

AIRPORT unions last night threatened industrial action if Transport Minister Seamus Brennan proceeds with his plans to break up Aer Rianta.

Amid fears of jobs losses at Dublin, Cork and Shannon, as a result of the Government's plans to make the three airports independent, unions organised emergency meetings of workers.

But the Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and business leaders backed Mr Brennan's plans, saying the unions were wrong.

Passengers could be faced with travel chaos at airports within weeks as Mr Brennan's announcement was immediately greeted with warnings of industrial strife.

Under Mr Brennan's plans, the three airports will be set up as independent entities with their own boards of directors within a year. The three airports will remain in State ownership and Mr Brennan said he had no plans to privatise them.

Cork and Shannon airports will start off with a clean slate and Dublin Airport will carry Aer Rianta's entire €400 million debt, including the cost of the €140m development at Cork Airport.

Mr Brennan said he was breaking up the company as Aer Rianta was a monopoly.

The plan did not threaten jobs as the introduction of competition will result in growth in passenger numbers, he said.

Irish Congress of Trade Unions general secretary David Begg said splitting up Aer Rianta would seriously weaken the company.

As SIPTU called a mandatory meeting of 1,100 workers at Dublin Airport for next Monday, the union's vice president Jack O'Connor angrily described the plan as institutionalised vandalism.

"It will reduce Cork and Shannon to the status of residual regional airports struggling to exist, while simultaneously dramatically increasing the debt burden on Dublin at a time when infrastructural development there is so urgently required," he said.

IMPACT official Michael Landers said it was laughable to suggest that Shannon and Cork would compete with Dublin.

Mr Ahern said the unions needed to look at the bigger picture and the plans would result in greater passenger numbers and growth in the tourism industry. Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary said if the unions went on strike it would merely galvanise public support for the break-up.

Chambers of Commerce of Ireland chief executive John Dunne criticised the union's opposition.

"SIPTU needs to grow up and realise that this move had the potential to be a fantastic opportunity rather than a threat if the unions respond constructively," he said.