In Short

A round-up of today's other stories in brief:

Aer Lingus warns Siptu not to take action

Aer Lingus wrote to Siptu yesterday warning the trade union that it will suspend any of its members who refuse to work alongside staff who have joined on new contracts.

Twelve new recruits are due to begin work in Dublin airport on March 1st on boarding and check-in duties. As part of their training they are required to work alongside colleagues for a certain period.

Siptu has indicated that its members will not co-operate with this. It is threatening industrial action from next Wednesday over the introduction of the contracts.

Aer Lingus said it would allow customers who have booked flights from March 1st to 3rd to change their bookings for free as it prepared for the possibility of strike action next week.

Former IDA chief to be CRH chairman

Former IDA Ireland chief executive Kieran McGowan is set to take over the chairmanship of CRH, Ireland's biggest listed company.

The building materials giant announced yesterday that Mr McGowan would take up the post when current chairman Pat Molloy steps down at the group's annual general meeting in May.

Mr McGowan joined the CRH board in 1998, the year he stepped down as chief executive of the IDA.

He is a non-executive director of a number of companies including Elan, Irish Life & Permanent and United Drug. He is also a director of Enterprise Ireland and chairman of the governing authority of University College Dublin.

Bank offers cash to switch accounts

Ulster Bank is to pay people who switch their current account to the bank a €150 cash incentive.

The offer will run from next Monday until the end of March, with the money automatically credited to the account on opening.

Customers will be required to redirect their salary into the account.

Ulster Bank said the offer, which is the first of its kind in the Republic's banking market, was designed to overcome consumer inertia around switching in the current-account market.

Deadline extended in Ryanair bid case

The European Commission yesterday extended the deadline for its examination of Ryanair's bid to buy Aer Lingus to June 13th from May 11th.

"Both sides agreed it would be useful to have the extra time because it is a detailed, complicated case," said commission spokesman Jonathan Todd. - (Reuters)

Lundin Mining's income soars

Lundin Mining, owner of the Galmoy lead and zinc mine in Co Kilkenny, recorded a fourfold increase in net income in the three months to the end of December, boosted by the acquisition of Eurozinc and higher metal prices.

The company revealed net income of $63.6 million (€48.5 million), up from $14.2 million. Sales more than tripled to $236.1 million. For the full year, net income was $152.9 million, compared with $30 million in 2005. Sales were $539.7 million, compared with $192.1 million.

Sales from the group's Galmoy zinc and lead mine rose 75 per cent last year to $119,223 as the group benefited from higher metal prices. The company recently reported an incident at the Galmoy site, which led to the death of one of its employees.

Lundin also said negotiations over a labour dispute with staff at the plant would resume shortly.

African Diamonds releases update

African Diamonds yesterday released an update on its drilling activities in Botswana, saying that a high-intensity exploration programme was under way over the entire 22sq km of the PL36 licence it has with De Beers.