The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern has renewed his appeal to SIPTU to call off a planned two-hour work stoppage at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports this Thursday.
Speaking at Government Buildings this afternoon, Mr Ahern said that the unions should "get on with the consultation process".
"This action will hopefully be called off. The discussions should move on," he stated.
"The government has set the policy down clearly and coherently. Minister Brennan has also set down the guarantees. I don't think we [the Government] can go much further," the Taoiseach added.
As Mr Ahern issued his call, SIPTU representatives at Aer Rianta were engaged in a meeting at the Airport, to decide whether or not to call the strike.
Earlier, the board of Aer Rianta asked SIPTU to defer its stoppage.
The Taoiseach rebutted suggestions that industrial action at the Airport, coming as it does in the opening month of Ireland's EU presidency, would be a source of embarrassment to himself and the government.
"European ministers are used to such action. It's not a very original idea - in fact I can't think of a less original one. In a number of countries that have held presidencies in recent times there seems to always be some dispute or another, and it regularly happens in airports," he said.
"Maybe others want to engage in an argument, but the Government wants to deal with the factual issues of the change and development of the company," Mr Ahern added.
If the strike, due to begin at 8 a.m., goes ahead, bus services in Dublin also face disruption later on Thursday morning.
Union representatives at Aer Rianta met for almost five hours yesterday to consider a letter by the Minister for Transport, Mr Brennan, aimed at averting the strike.
The stoppage was called to disrupt flights carrying EU justice ministers and officials to a meeting in Dublin on Thursday. It was learned last night, however, that most of those attending plan to arrive tomorrow night.
In the letter to union leaders yesterday, Mr Brennan sought give assurances about the job security and pay and conditions of Aer Rianta staff after the airports company is broken up.
The Minister denied he had offered workers "jobs for life", as suggested in some sections of the media, but he repeated there would be no compulsory redundancies.