The Taoiseach and senior officials could be grounded if the planned strike on Thursday by air traffic controllers goes ahead, it emerged today.
Bertie Ahern is due to return by Government jet to Dublin from EU business on Thursday evening. The Impact union, which is representing the air traffic controllers, is due to meet with Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) officials for crunch talks at the Labour Court tomorrow.
Up to 900 airline flights will be grounded if the controllers go ahead with the planned 24-hour stoppage beginning at midnight on Wednesday.The Taoiseach leaves on Tuesday for bilateral talks with political leaders in Slovenia, Poland and Austria.His spokesman said: "The Taoiseach will be returning on Thursday. But his concern is not for himself but for the thousands of business people and tourists who will be seriously inconvenienced if the action goes ahead."It must be sorted out as soon as possible for the good of the country as a whole."Impact claims the row is over staff shortages but the IAA has insisted it relates to rosters and overtime.The Taoiseach's three-day visit includes meetings with senior government figures in Slovenia, which currently holds the EU presidency.Mr Ahern will also address the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in Vienna.Meanwhile flights into and out of Dublin Airport were restricted again today and passengers were hit with delays throughout the day,.The IAA blamed the situation on "unusually high levels of illness among air traffic controllers and the unwillingness of other controllers to cover those absences."The IAA said it regretted the inconvenience and urged passengers to contact their airlines for further information.
PA