Confusion Over Transport Strikes

There is confusion this morning about whether threatened strike action at Ireland's three main airports will go ahead next week.

SIPTU members at the Dublin Airport Authority have voted to go on strike for eight hours next Thursday in protest at the company's failure to honour the national pay agreement.

The move would affect Dublin, Cork and Shannon Airports.

SIPTU headquarters has insisted that the industrial action has not been sanctioned by union officials.

The DAA employees at the airports were originally planning an eight-hour stoppage on Monday as part of ICTU's national day of protest.

That protest has been called off following government moves to restart talks with the social partners on a national economic recovery plan.

The threat came as SIPTU and the National Bus and Rail Union (NBRU) agreed to suspend their industrial action in protest at €31m in cutbacks.

Up to 900,000 commuters have been spared weekend chaos as the Dublin Bus workers called off strikes that would have affected all routes.

Dublin Bus carries 450,000 passengers a day.

The Labour Court talks are the parties' last chance to resolve the dispute which began when Dublin Bus announced its 'Cost Effectiveness Plan' in January.

Negotiations at the Labour Relations Commission had already taken place to avert strikes earlier this month. The talks resulted in proposals which were rejected by the unions' members.

(BMcC/JM)