Air traffic row discussions continue

Face-to-face negotiations between air traffic controllers and the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA) are underway in Dublin this afternoon in a bid to end their current dispute.

Around 100 air traffic controllers from Dublin Airport are involved in the dispute which centres around staffing levels and overtime.

Last Friday 32 flights were grounded as the airport was forced to suspend all flight activity between 10.30pm and 11.30pm after control tower positions were left unstaffed.

The controllers, who claim no new workers have been employed at the airport since the September 11 terror attacks in 2001, are refusing to work voluntary overtime in protest.

However, the IAA accused the workers of breaking an agreement negotiated with their union, Impact, that they would make themselves available to work while the dispute is being resolved.

Impact later informed the IAA that the unofficial ban on overtime would be suspended until Friday in a bid to facilitate the talks which are scheduled to conclude on February 8th.

The two-weeks of negotiations began with face-to-face talks today in the Gresham hotel before both sides return to the Labour Relations Commission.

Meanwhile it has emerged that air traffic controllers could be brought in from other countries to help ease the pressure.

Niall Shanahan from Impact said: "The controllers are telling management that interim measures need to be put in place, like short-term contracts for workers from outside the jurisdiction.

"Safety is the primary focus of their job and you don't want that compromised by fatigued or overworked staff... it is important that we have the required complements in place."

A spokeswoman for the IAA said: "We are currently looking at two-three year contracts (for foreign controllers) but because it is such a specialised job it could take six months to learn the practices local to Ireland."

She added controllers were granted summer and winter leave but the overtime was required when colleagues took off sick at short notice.

"It is a voluntary decision, it isn't like they are being forced into it.

"Certainly the traffic levels have gone up but we were in a situation where it was overstaffed."

Additional reporting PA