Dempsey appeals for deal to avert air strike

Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey appealed for a settlement in the threatened air traffic controllers' strike.

He said that both sides had accepted there was a need for extra staff. "There is a difficulty with recruiting due to the time it takes . . . That process has commenced and I would encourage it to be completed as quickly as possible. I do not agree with a policy of unlimited overtime. It is not being imposed. It is important people honour their commitments."

Mr Dempsey said that in January unofficial action had commenced without warning and that should not happen.

"It happened on the basis of new issues emerging that were not part of the previous dispute. We talk consistently about social partnership and I am supportive of the concept," he added.

"It takes two to tango, or three or four in the case of social partnership and I would not condone anybody on any side going outside the social partnership to put their case forward."

Mr Dempsey said there was no question of safety standards being breached through the use of overtime as it was not compulsory and was done within safety guidelines and labour law.

Replying to special notice questions, Mr Dempsey said that although the Irish Aviation Authority accepted it must provide extra air traffic controllers and reduce overtime, it was adequately staffed based on agreed work practices.

"The sooner people begin to talk in the Labour Court to iron out some of the other difficulties that have arisen, the better," the Minister added.

Pressed by Labour's Tommy Broughan and Fine Gael's Fergus O'Dowd, the Minister said he accepted the points they made about the job's stresses.

"It is an extremely onerous job. It requires great concentration and many lives are at stake, and from that point of view it is stressful. I accept that," he added.

"Any of us in this House or elsewhere would say we all have stresses in our jobs but air traffic controllers have many lives in their hands at any one time. That is why the overtime agreement is voluntary, not compulsory."