Travellers using Irish airports next week could face disruption as a dispute between Cityjet baggage handlers who are members of SIPTU and Cityjet looks set to escalate.
According to Mr Dermot O'Loughlin of SIPTU, industrial action in the country's five main airports will begin on October 31st, with what he terms a "trick-or-treat" campaign.
Industrial action by baggage handlers and other handling companies with SIPTU members will begin in the afternoon.
The form the action will take is not year clear, but Mr O' Loughlin says it could involve three-hour stoppages entailing the refusal of handlers to remove baggage from incoming flights.
Cityjet is based in Dublin Airport and is a 100 per cent owned subsidiary of Air France employing over 350 staff in both its Dublin base and at Paris's Charles de Gaulle Airport.
Mr O'Loughlin says SIPTU members handling baggage for other airlines have agreed to support the action over pay and conditions and trade-union recognition.
He also said it is possible that handlers in French airports who are members of the French trade union Force Ouvriere will also take industrial action in support of the baggage handlers here.
"We invited Cityjet to take part in negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission, but they refused," Mr O' Loughlin said. "They are arguing that employees are represented internally and that, consequently, there is no need for union representation. We believe that this is completely unacceptable".
However, a spokesman for Cityjet has denied that there will be any disruption for passengers if industrial action goes ahead.
He told ireland.comthat employees in the company did not need union representation as they had internal representation and that only 10 out of 135 employees were actually seeking representation by SIPTU.
He also dismissed claims that the airport would be shut down by industrial action and said previous attempts to disrupt services had also failed.