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Picket at Department of Transport over Aer Lingus privatisation proposals

SIPTU members in Aer Lingus are picketing the Department of Transport in Kildare Street, Dublin, from 12.30 pm until 1.30 pm today in protest at the proposal to privatise Aer Lingus. SIPTU National Industrial Secretary Michael Halpenny said, “It is ironic that Government Ministers are flying out all over the world this week on our national airline to promote the ’Shamrock’ in the best of all social, cultural and economic senses, only to return next week with the apparent intention of selling the ‘Shamrock’ on Aer Lingus planes to the highest bidder.”

The Union is still awaiting clarification from the Department as to the status of the formal request made by ICTU and the Aer Lingus unions to revisit the issues of state investment and the ICTU State Holding Company Proposal. “We did so in light of the apparent assessment of the Government’s own advisors UBS and AIB Capital Markets that the sale of 60 per cent of the State’s holding could only realise approximately €400m - the price of about four wide bodied jets.  

“This means that the national airline would be effectively delivered to private investors for the price of four planes with the airline still having to chase the balance of the €2 billion capital investment requirement. There would be nil gain to the Exchequer, marginal gain for the company, major concern for our members and the removal of public control over a strategic asset vital to the economic security of the State.

Labour TD Roisin Shortall has tabled a motion for next Wednesday’s Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport to discuss the implications of the proposed privatisation of Aer Lingus for all the stakeholders. It is expected to obtain cross-party support.

Meanwhile the SIPTU ballot for industrial action at Aer Lingus concludes on Friday, March 24.