Air traffic controllers at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action, up to and including strike action, in a move that could ground flights coming in and out of the country.
The staff, who are members of the Impact trade union, were balloted on industrial action over the past two weeks and the result was announced yesterday.
Almost 300 air traffic controllers voted by a majority of 99 per cent in favour of industrial action. The form their action will take has yet to be decided by Impact but it could include work stoppages lasting up to 24 hours. When the work stoppages are decided on, the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) will be given two weeks' notice of the action being taken.
The air traffic controllers are essentially in dispute with the IAA about short-staffing and the amount of overtime they are being asked to do as a result.
Shay Cody, deputy general secretary with Impact, said the air traffic controllers were under no contractual obligation to do overtime. It was voluntary and when nobody volunteered to do overtime at Shannon airport on Saturday night, he said, the airport had to be closed for three hours.Some 12 flights were affected by the closure, which began at 9pm.
There was also disruption at Shannon earlier last Wednesday night and last month 32 flights at Dublin airport were also grounded by the dispute.
Since then there have been a number of hearings before the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in an attempt to resolve the dispute and talks resume again at the commission tomorrow week, February 19th.
Mr Cody said he still hoped a resolution could be found on that date, so that industrial action could be avoided. "The key message is if the 19th doesn't settle it, we are definitely moving into very serious territory."
In a statement, the IAA said it was disappointed to learn of Impact's plan for industrial action through a media statement. "Any action is in breach of the current National Agreement Towards 2016, a Continuity of Service Agreement signed by Impact and the Irish Aviation Authority, and national industrial relations procedures.
"The authority is satisfied that through custom and practice overtime arrangements applying to air traffic controllers form part of their conditions of service." Furthermore, it said, there was not a shortage of air traffic controllers in the IAA.
Lilian Cassin, corporate communications manager with the IAA, said she hoped a resolution to the dispute could be found at the LRC next week. "This is in nobody's interests." She said the recruitment of extra traffic controllers began last summer and that 36 student air traffic controllers would start next month and will be fully trained by July 2009.
Air traffic controllers at Galway and Knock airports were not part of the ballot as they are not employed by the IAA.