TEAM Aer Lingus has refused to reinstate a former shop steward, Mr Denis Smyth, one of the leaders of the 1994 dispute at the aircraft maintenance company.
Mr Smyth was found to be unfairly dismissed by the Employment Appeals Tribunal, which ordered his reinstatement last July. But the company has informed Mr Smyth it intends to appeal the tribunal's decision.
When the tribunal heard evidence last May it was told that Mr Smyth had been sacked because he was unmanageable and could not adapt to the new working conditions. The crucial breach of discipline had been over his decision to attend a union meeting without permission in working hours.
Mr Smyth claimed he was the victim of a company policy to curb trade union activity and had been targeted because of his former prominence as a senior shop steward. The tribunal found unanimously in Mr Smyth's favour but when he contacted the company recently to ask when he was due to start back to work, he was told the case was being appealed.