STAFF at Shannon Airport and Shannon Development have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action if there are any attempts to change their terms and conditions of employment when the planned transfer of staff to a new Shannon Airport Authority takes place at the end of the month. 94 per cent of staff at Shannon Development and 95 per cent at the airport voted for strike action if their demands are not met.
SIPTU organiser Tony Carroll said that union members at Shannon Airport are calling on the Dublin Airport Authority and the Department of Transport, Tourism and Sport to give written assurances to the 220 SIPTU members, and their representatives, before the planned transfer takes place. “Failure to secure these written assurances will trigger industrial action,” he said.
Meanwhile, SIPTU sector organiser Jane Boushell has said that following the recent Government decision to break up Shannon Development and transfer its assets and some of its staff to a new aviation company, “SIPTU members sought specific guarantees in relation to terms and conditions of their employment including pension entitlements.
“They also sought an assurance that they would enjoy the continued protection of the terms of the Croke Park Agreement and the resolution of specific outstanding industrial relations issues”, she explained.
Speaking during a Dáil debate, which confirmed December 31 as the appointed day for the separation of Shannon Airport from the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), Transport Minister Leo Varadkar insisted he understood the concerns of staff in both Shannon Airport and Shannon Development at this time of significant change.
He stressed that the new model for Shannon Airport offers a great opportunity for Shannon and the region.
“The terms and conditions of the DAA employees working in Shannon Airport will not be diminished in any way when they become staff of the new Shannon Airport Authority,” he said.
