Aer Lingus workers were today told by SIPTU president Mr Des Geraghty to hold their nerve during their "long struggle" with the airline, which recently announced 2,000 redundancies.
Hundreds of members of the Aer Lingus SIPTU branch marched on the Dáil in protest at Aer Lingus's recent cost-cutting measures and last night's announcement by the Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs Mary O'Rourke, that 35 per cent of the company was now up for sale.
Speaking at the rally, Mr Geraghty said he was "deeply disappointed" with Mrs O'Rourke's statement to the Dáil last night and said the EU Commission - which encouraged the move following the events of September 11th - had taken a "servile, stupid and ignorant approach to this crisis".
Mr Geraghty said he understood the emotion people felt at the news they would lose their jobs, but said if SIPTU members stood shoulder-to-shoulder with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions and each other, they would win.
SIPTU would not accept the planned redundancies or outsourcing of services at the airport, he added, but warned the number of jobs saved at Aer Lingus depended on public support and the willingness of people to fly with the airline.
Mr Geraghty said the union was prepared for a long struggle with management of the airline, which had landed a "bombshell of panic measures" to cope with the economic ramifications of the US attacks.
He called on workers to remain united and reminded them they were not simply workers at Aer Lingus, but were also shareholders in the company. "You own this airline", he said.