The trade unions representing workers in Aer Lingus and Dublin and Shannon Airports agreed to engage in a process of consultation with members with a view to coordinating a campaign of industrial action, in pursuit of a just settlement to the long-running pension dispute. SIPTU members already voted in favour of all-out strike in the pension row over the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS) that has been dragging on for years. The pension scheme has a substantial deficit and years of negotiations have failed to deal with the insufficient funds, as reported previously in this newsletter. SIPTU reports the 98% and 96% of their members have now voted in favour of industrial and strike action. Spokespersons reiterated that the trade unions remain open to discussions with management on a possible resolution to the dispute. The management proposals include the use of new legislation which allows cuts in payments to current pensioners for the first time. They also mean current workers - as well as former workers who have not yet retired - would see a 20% cut in pensions benefit.
English: http://www.siptu.ie/media/pressreleases2014/mainnews ...
http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/aer-lingus-workers-vote-for-all-out-strike ...
http://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/airport-unions-warn-of-action ...
For more information, please contact the editor Jan Cremers, Amsterdam Institute for Advanced Labour Studies (AIAS) cbn-aias@uva.nl or the communications officer at the ETUI, Mariya Nikolova mnikolova@etui.org. For previous issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit http://www.etui.org/E-Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org, and on the AIAS at www.uva-aias.net.