Siptu airport action 'not sanctioned' - union

The trade union Siptu is to consider an invitation to talks at the Labour Relations Commission over planned industrial action at Dublin Airport over a pay issue.

The union said earlier that industrial action planned by Siptu workers at the airport had not yet been sanctioned by the union.

Siptu general president Jack O'Connor said the application for sanction to promote industrial action over payment of increments had yet to be decided.

"Consequently sanction to proceed has not been granted," he said.

Mr O'Connor said the union hoped management at the Dublin Airport Authority would "act sensibly" in compliance with existing agreements by paying increments that had fallen due, allowing "any issues of concern to them to be progressed through the agreed procedure".

A spokesman for the union said the dispute had been sparked by the Dublin Airport Authority telling workers that it would not pay increments due to workers, and said the company itself was acting outside procedures.

However, the DAA denied it had refused the payment of increments.

“At no point has the DAA stated that increments will not be paid. The company has paused the payment of any salary increases pending the outcome of a cost recovery programme. The increment payments in question are normally paid in the middle of April,” the company said in a statement.

The DAA urged Siptu to withdraw the strike notice, saying it had agreed to enter talks at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) next week on the payment of increments.

It also called for the union to enter the talks, saying any further delay in doing so would cause “undue concern and inconvenience to the travelling public”.

Siptu said in a statement this evening it had received the invitatin to talks at the LRC and that it would be "considering the invitation" on Monday.

If the latest action goes ahead, thousands of passengers could face major disruption as a result.

Fine Gael's tourism spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said the damage to the economy from a threatened strike is worse than the strike itself.

"Flights are cancelled, business and holiday plans changed and negative perceptions of Ireland are formed just by a threatened strike," she said.

“This is the worst possible time to send out further negative messages about the country and it is permanently damaging to the tourist industry. It is perverse for aviation staff to take this kind of action now when the financial positions and the future of our two main airlines and indeed Dublin Airport itself, are so uncertain."

She said it was "grossly irresponsible" to jeopardise the jobs of other workers.

Chambers Ireland's Air Transport User's Council (ATUC) called on the union's aviation branch to clarify their plans, saying those involved in business and tourism would need to plan ahead.

"Despite messages indicating that the strike is off, we still do not have clarity as whether the strike notice served last night has been withdrawn. Consumers need to know today to assure themselves that their plans for next week can progress," said ATUC spokesman Seán Murphy.

He said a strike would send the wrong message about efforts to grow international markets.

"The aviation sector faces significant challenges in terms of its high fixed cost base and constant need to maintain higher passenger numbers and footfall. Siptu aviation branch members must recognise the gravity of the situation in which their sector finds itself," he said.