Irish air traffic controllers vote to approve strike
Irish air traffic controllers issued a two-week strike notice to management tonight with workers planning an overtime ban and temporary walk-outs.
Members of the Impact trade union have been embroiled in a dispute with the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) claiming there has been a recruitment ban for the last six years.
The union sent the IAA a 14-day strike notice after 99% of controllers voted in favour of industrial action.
The authority said it was disappointed by the move and claimed it was a blatant breach of the national wage agreement Towards 2016.
The industrial action will affect all flights in and out of the country and also planes flying over Irish airspace.
The IAA said: "This has the potential to cause major disruptions to airlines and to the travelling public.
"The Authority will continue to keep its airline customers and the travelling public informed of the effects of these actions."
The IAA said it had already moved to resolve the row over staffing with better overtime pay and changes to rosters.
"In such circumstances the action now proposed is by any standards excessive," it concluded.
Impact said an overtime ban would take effect from February 26 and would be followed by temporary work stoppages.
A spokesman for the union said it planned to give the IAA at least seven days notice of the specific time and date of a stoppage after a meeting with industrial relations trouble-shooters at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).
Workers are also supporting plans for an official work-to-rule, but details have yet to be finalised.
Even though the dispute escalated with the strike notice warning, Impact said it was fully committed to the LRC process and hoped a solution could be reached to avoid industrial action.
