The prospect of an industrial stoppage at Dublin airport next Thursday, in protest against the Coalition Government's decision to break up Aer Rianta, is in the balance. Such a development, aimed at disrupting Ireland's presidency of the European Union and embarrassing the Government, would be counter-productive in the extreme.
Those most likely to be affected are ordinary members of the travelling public, while visiting EU ministers and their advisers may be accommodated at Casement aerodrome.
During the past 10 days, efforts to avoid disruption of air travel have continued between the Government and the trade union movement. Following initial contact between the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern , and the general secretary of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions, Mr David Begg, a letter was sent to congress by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, in which he said there would be no compulsory redundancies and that workers' pay and conditions would be preserved after Aer Rianta was broken up. The contents of that letter were not made available to the SIPTU meeting that decided on industrial action. But the undertakings were acceptable to other trade unions.
The situation has been complicated by a threat of co-ordinated industrial action by SIPTU militants from within both Aer Rianta and CIÉ. They are opposed to Mr Brennan's plans to break up both companies, to privatise up to 25 per cent of Dublin bus routes and to build a privately-funded terminal at Dublin airport. Workers believe they are facing a threat to their jobs and to their terms and conditions of work. They are firmly opposed to the Government's plans for change and for greater competition. And they are prepared to cause serious industrial disruption in pursuit of their interests. In that regard, they are in danger of overstepping the line that divides issues of Government policy from those of industrial relations.
Yesterday, Mr Begg joined with the president of SIPTU, Mr Jack O'Connor, in hoping that industrial action could be avoided. He explained that the trade union movement was acting to protect the pay and conditions of its members and not in opposition to settled Government policy. He felt it would be in everybody's interests if the commercial projections and the business plan underlying policy on Aer Rianta were published.
Mr Brennan is expected to provide the clarifications requested by the SIPTU president later today, in spite of public concerns that guarantees of jobs for life, with no diminution in pay or conditions of employment, are anachronisms in today's world. Any such concessions, made in advance of the publication of Government plans for the three new airport commercial entities, would inhibit a major shake-up of this semi-state monopoly.
The handling of the issue by the Government has been inept. But that does not justify the threatened strike action.