Combined strikes by airport and public transport workers were threatened yesterday by SIPTU in its row with the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan. Chris Dooley, Industry and Employment Correspondent, reports.
The union's CIÉ and Aer Rianta strike committees are to meet this week to discuss the possibility of co-ordinated action to disrupt meetings of the EU presidency. Any such move would be a serious escalation of the dispute with Mr Brennan over his plans to break up Aer Rianta and CIÉ.
Mr Jack O'Connor, SIPTU's president, wrote to Mr Brennan yesterday seeking assurances about the pay, conditions and job security of Aer Rianta staff.
He said industrial action would be unavoidable unless Mr Brennan could back up commitments provided last week with "clear and extensive tangible measures".
A spokeswoman for the Minister said he was confident that the Minister could provide the assurances, and that industrial action would be avoided.
SIPTU, which is to hold a general meeting of workers at Cork Airport today, plans to disrupt flights carrying justice ministers and officials to an EU meeting in Dublin on Thursday and Friday.
The prospect of wider action involving staff in Dublin Bus, Iarnród Éireann and Bus Éireann was raised by the union's CIÉ strike committee yesterday. It decided that a delegation should meet colleagues in Aer Rianta this week to discuss "possible common ground and tactics".
Mr Michael Halpenny, the union's national industrial secretary for the semi-State sector, said both sets of workers were facing a threat to their jobs and terms and conditions.
Asked if the CIÉ representatives, like their Aer Rianta counterparts, had in mind possible disruption to EU presidency meetings, he said: "They're both living in the same country, let's put it that way."
In a statement the union's CIÉ strike committee said it would also be holding discussions with SIPTU's taxi branch.
Industrial action affecting bus and rail transport was postponed last week to allow for the unions to meet Mr Brennan.
In its statement, the CIÉ strike committee said it would reconvene on the day after that meeting to decide whether there was any merit in continuing talks with Mr Brennan's Department.
A date has not yet been fixed for the meeting, but it is expected to take place next week.
Mr Brennan has said he is also available for talks on Aer Rianta. In a letter last week to the ICTU's general secretary, Mr David Begg, he said there would be no compulsory redundancies, and that workers' pay and conditions would be preserved after the company was broken up.
In his letter to Mr Brennan yesterday, Mr O'Connor said those commitments were "noted", but "much more needs to be done".