Following yesterday evening’s general meetings of the staff in Aer Lingus and the Dublin Airport Authority it was unanimously decided to conduct immediate ballots for industrial action, including strike action, as a result of the failure of the employers to engage in meaningful discussions on the deficit in Irish Airlines (General Employees) Superannuation Scheme (IASS). Following yesterday evening’s general meetings of the staff in Aer Lingus and the Dublin Airport Authority it was unanimously decided to conduct immediate ballots for industrial action, including strike action, as a result of the failure of the employers to engage in meaningful discussions on the deficit in Irish Airlines (General Employees) Superannuation Scheme (IASS). The SIPTU members have also decided to ballot to withhold both the employer and employee contributions to the scheme and have called on the three current Trustees and their advisors to resign with instant effect. Speaking today (Thursday 16th January), SIPTU Organiser, Dermot O’Loughlin, said: “There is extreme anger now among the employees of Aer Lingus, DAA and the Shannon Airport Authority that after three years of an industrial relations process the pensions crisis, if anything, has worsened at a time when financial market conditions are improving. The membership has said that it can neither afford, nor tolerate, hard earned money going into a scheme from which they may never see any value in the future. In addition, they are convinced that their respective employers are dragging their feet in terms of finding real solutions to this emergency. Finally, we are instructed to request the immediate resignation of the current Trustees and all their advisors to the scheme. At this juncture, we are calling on Aer Lingus, DAA and the Shannon Airport Authority to set aside priority time for intensive meaningful discussions to once and for all resolve this pensions debacle. Failure to do so will unfortunately lead to very significant industrial episodes at Ireland’s international airports.”
SIPTU members at Aer Lingus and DAA to ballot for industrial action over pensions scheme
