Airport Staff's Strike Threat During Ireland's EU Presidency

Mon 12 Jan 2004 

Airport Staff's Strike Threat During EU Presidency 
The Scotsman, UK


The Irish Government could face embarrassment next
week after airport staff today threatened industrial
action during the country’s six-month EU Presidency.

SIPTU, the country’s largest union, has vowed to
disrupt the state’s presidency in protest at
government plans to break up the publicly-owned
operator of Ireland’s three main airports, Aer Rianta.

Union members have reacted furiously to Transport
Minister Seamus Brennan’s intention to split the body
into three independent, competing entities at Dublin,
Shannon and Cork airports.

Michael Halpenny, SIPTU’s national industrial officer,
said the proposed industrial action would focus on the
state’s EU Presidency and away from the general
public.

He insisted it may come into force towards the end of
next week at a time when foreign dignitaries are
expected to arrive for a major EU meeting on January
22 and 23 in Dublin Castle.

“We are a publicly owned company, we work with the
public, we’re happy to deliver the service to the
public, we want to minimise any impact at all on the
public, but we need to get our message across and we
need to get it across where it matters,” Mr Halpenny
said.

“It is the government that concocted this economic
madness as far as we’re concerned, this economic
madness of breaking up a perfectly profitable company.

“This company makes about £21m (30m euro) profit each
year, it’s one of the largest airport management
companies in the world, it is a highly integrated
company.

“It is a company with a long and proud history and
there seems no good reason for us why this company
should be broken up and the jobs and terms and
conditions of our members be put in jeopardy.”

The three other unions at Aer Rianta called off
industrial action last Friday to return to talks after
the transport minister sent them a letter guaranteeing
that there would be no forced redundancies after the
company’s restructuring.

But SIPTU members are continuing to plan industrial
action.

Mr Halpenny said there was an enormous amount of
frustration among the union’s 1,800 staff at the three
airports.

“The basis of the industrial action will be to focus
on the EU Presidency, the actual details of that will
be discussed with our industrial action committees
tomorrow,” he added.

The dispute is the latest threat to paralyse the
country’s transport system after bus and rail unions
threatened industrial action over plans to break up
the state-owned bus and rail operator, CIE.

Taoiseach Bertie Ahern warned all the airport unions
against taking industrial action in a bid to embarrass
the Government last week.

Mr Ahern said the only concern of the government
regarding Aer Rianta, Aer Lingus and other state
companies was their long-term sustainability.

He said the industrial action would not damage the
presidency, but could harm the future of the company
and its staff.
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