Ryanair passengers can expect to face delays today as baggagehandlers at Dublin airport begin industrial action in pursuit of union recognition.
Last night, the leader of the Labour Party, Mr Ruairi Quinn, supported the strikers and accused the company of "trampling over the constitutional rights of workers" by refusing to negotiate with their union, SIPTU.
Yesterday, Ryanair executives, including the operations manager, Mr Conor McCarthy, had two meetings with the baggage-handlers from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., calling on them to abandon their strike.
Similar tactics have been successful in averting industrial action in the past, but SIPTU said last night that its members had told management they wanted to be represented by the union.
Strike notice was served for 3 a.m. today and the union will undertake either a once-off three-hour stoppage, or staggered one-hour breaks through the day. It intends to escalate the action in coming days if Ryanair does not change its stance.
Mr Quinn made the strongest intervention he has ever made in an industrial dispute last night when he pledged full Labour Party support to the strikers. He accused the company of "putting at risk the continued commitment of ordinary workers to the terms and conditions of pay moderation contained in Partnership 2000".
He said: "The refusal by the management of Ryanair to accede to this basic right is reminiscent of the intransigence of the Dublin employers, led by William Martin Murphy in 1913."
The strength of Mr Quinn's comments reflect the growing concern in political and trade union circles that the refusal of some high-profile companies, like Ryanair, to recognise unions could undermine Partnership 2000. Referring again to the Dublin lock-out of 1913, Mr Quinn said: "If employers have learnt nothing since 1913, then perhaps it would be necessary for the law to be used as a legal instrument to compel them to recognise the legal rights of Irish working men and women."
The Labour Party would propose a constitutional amendment if necessary to oblige employers to recognise unions, he warned.
A spokeswoman for Ryanair said that the company position has not changed since Wednesday. It is still considering correspondence received from the union and is continuing to communicate directly with employees, including the SIPTU baggage-handlers.
The company had received notice of limited industrial action by a small number of people, she added. "This may cause some delays, but schedules will operate as normal".
In a letter received by the SIPTU branch secretary, Mr Paul O'Sullivan, yesterday morning, Mr McCarthy said: "Neither we, nor any of our people, require the help or intervention of SIPTU, the Aer Lingus union, in any of our dealings, and we will continue to deal directly with each other and, as a result, our people will continue to do better."
Mr O'Sullivan wrote back, reiterating the union's willingness to refer the dispute to the Labour Court or the Labour Relations Commission. However, he said the union would not abdicate its right to represent the baggage-handlers, who, he says, are more poorly paid than their counterparts in Aer Lingus or Servisair.
SIPTU members in Ryanair want the union to represent them, Mr O'Sullivan wrote to Mr McCarthy, "because they believe that just as Ryanair can engage professionals to represent them, for example Murray's PR, they as workers have the right to expect Ryanair to respect their wish to be represented by professionals, who have full information and back-up support."
He concluded: "We are still hopeful that even at this late hour you will consider your position and accept the expressed wishes of your employees."