The general president of SIPTU, Mr Jack O'Connor, has played down threats of industrial action at Aer Rianta after workers today issued an ultimatum for him to return to them within 48 hours with written assurances from the Taoiseach on the future of the company.
Representatives at SIPTU's Civil Aviation Branch said the Taoiseach should honour his commitments to the airport authority, and avoid breaking it up.
Mr Dermot O'Laughlin, branch secretary, called on SIPTU president Jack O'Connor to seek assurances from Mr Ahern over the future of the authority.
After a meeting today, the branch said that strike action involving some 1,400 workers could not be ruled out if assurances are not forthcoming.
The Taoiseach has said he is at ease with plans to break up Aer Rianta in favour of three independent companies to run the State's main airports in Dublin, Cork and Shannon. But he said at the weekend he is keen to have full agreement on the future of the company with the union.
Mr O'Laughlin said: "There is a very strong indication that the Government is not prepared to honour its commitments and its agreements.We are hoping that Jack O'Connor will take the opportunity to ask the
Government to keep to their word."
However, speaking following talks on the next phase of the Sustaining Partnership agreement at Government Buildings, Mr O'Connor told ireland.comhe was not aware of a 48-hour deadline from the unions, as reported in the media today. He did not believe industrial action was imminent, he said. Mr O'Connor said the Aer Rianta issue was not discussed at today's talks.
Meanwhile, the Labour Party has accused the Government of deliberately withholding the text of the Bill providing for the break-up of Aer Rianta until after Friday's elections.
Speaking as talks on the next round of social partnership were due to open at Government buildings, Labour's transport spokeswoman, Ms Roisin Shortall, said the draft schedule of business for the Dáil for next week lists the State Airports Bill to be taken on Tuesday June 15th and Thursday June 17th.
"I believe that if the Government is planning to take the Bill in the Dáil next week then the text of it must have been agreed at Government level," she said.
"I have no doubt that when it is actually published, there will be great anger, not just among Aer Rianta workers, but also among the thousands of workers who jobs are dependent on successful and efficient national airports at Dublin, Cork and Shannon."
Ms Shortall said people should be entitled to know the terms of the legislation before the elections and that it was also important that members of the Dáil should have proper time to study the terms of such an important Bill.
Labour's transport spokeswoman, Ms Roisin Shortall
"If the Taoiseach genuinely believes 'we have to get agreement with the trade unions on this issue' then he should withdraw plans to take this Bill next week and instruct Minister Brennan to enter into genuine negotiation with the employees on acceptable structures that will enable the company to continue to assist tourism and transport while providing for a greater degree of autonomy for the three airports within the company," Ms Shortall said.
The Taoiseach said the future of Aer Rianta will be one of the big issues to be discussed in this round of partnership talks. Mr Ahern said the Government was "determined" to get agreement with the unions and he believed it was close to that. He said his "bottom line" on Aer Rianta was that "it stays within the State".
Aer Rianta worker directors expressed concern at the weekend that passenger charges at Dublin airport will go from being the lowest in Europe to the highest if the proposed break-up goes ahead. They have accused the Minister for Transport of basing his economic thinking on the Aer Rianta issue on proposals from "Disneyland".
Additional reporting PA