The Taoiseach has said that the closure of airports by Aer Rianta unions in the dispute over the break-up of the company should be "a last resort".
Mr Ahern was speaking in Dublin as Department of Transport officials met with the unions in a bid to avert a possible two-hour stoppage at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports tomorrow.
The Taoiseach said there were issues which had to be resolved and he hoped this would happen as soon as possible. He said there should be "proper consultation" on the many issues involved and that the Government had a role to play in their resolution, along with the unions.
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Mr Ahern said the Minister for Transport had written to the unions last week saying he was available for "meaningful discussions".
The minister's officials are meeting with the unions this afternoon. Mr Ahern said he hoped there would be progress arising from those discussions, both on tomorrow's strike issue and on all other Aer Rianta issues.
He said the Government wanted "to see the best for the company, the best for the travelling public, the best for people who require the services of Aer Rianta into the future".
Asked whether he believed it was appropriate to close the airports tomorrow in the context of the ongoing discussions, the Taoiseach said: "I do not think in any dispute that people should use closure as a last resort, withdrawing services.
"It is far better to engage in meaningful dialogue. It's in the interests of everyone to do that. I'm not in the business of lecturing either the management or the unions...but there are issues that have to be resolved and I think everybody knows that."
Unions at Aer Rianta met this morning to decide whether to proceed with industrial action at the country's three main airports tomorrow. The action would essentially close the airports between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. and cause serious disruption to passengers.
Four unions - IMPACT, SIPTU, Mandate and the Technical Engineering and Electrical Union (TEEU) - voted for industrial action in protest at plans by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, to break up the airport company.
The unions decided on industrial action following a refusal by the company to provide guarantees about conditions of employment following the break-up.
The Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, has stated he is willing to discuss employment issues such as job security and pensions but that the break-up of Aer Rianta will go ahead.