Hundreds of workers across the Great Southern Hotel Group have voted in favour of industrial action, it emerged tonight.
The move involves more than 80 per cent of SIPTU members, unhappy about a number of outstanding issues pending the sale of eight hotels.
Both parties are now set to attend a Labour Court hearing on Wednesday.
But SIPTU's national negotiating committee for GHS is also deciding on the course of action to be taken if the parties fail to come to an agreement.
"The ballot for industrial action follows the decision by the Dublin Airport Authority and its agents to continue to promote the sale of the Great Southern Hotels (GSH) without reaching agreement with staff on outstanding issues, including full compliance with the collective agreements, pensions for employees in the future, reckonable service and reckonable pay for calculating redundancy payments," said Donal Tobin of SIPTU.
"Up to 700 SIPTU members are affected by this decision." In February, Dublin Airport Authority announced the sale of Great Southern Hotels located at Dublin, Shannon and Cork Airports, Parknasilla and Killarney in County Kerry, at Eyre Square and Dublin Road (Corrib) in Galway city, and at Rosslare Harbour, County Wexford.
Due to the high level of interest — both nationally and internationally — in the sale of the group, the tender date has been extended to Friday, July 28th.
A spokesman GSH added: "We have agreed to go to the Labour Court next Wednesday and are hopeful that adjudication will halt the need for any industrial action."