Passengers at Dublin airport could face similar scenes to those at Heathrow last weekend if a row between an airport catering company and its staff is not resolved.
Some 200 staff working for Gate Gourmet Ireland Ltd in Dublin airport, a branch of the catering company involved in the Heathrow dispute, have voted to strike following a decision by management to change the terms and conditions of their employment. The workers have also been told the company cannot afford to pay for Sustaining Progress wage increases.
Management issued notice of changes in the terms and conditions of staff late last year. Siptu's Civil Aviation Branch, which represents most of the Gate Gourmet workers, negotiated with the company but an agreement could not be reached.
Staff voted to strike in June and the issue was referred to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC). The commission recommended an independent assessor be appointed but an agreement could not be reached on who the assessor should be and the issue has remained deadlocked.
The union wrote to the LRC late last week and is awaiting a response. It fears the company will try to force through the changes without further negotiation, triggering industrial action.
Gate Gourmet was accused of causing a strike at Heathrow airport at the weekend when an internal document, suggesting that management should provoke strikes so that it could replace existing staff with cheaper foreign labour, was leaked. The company denied the suggestion was implemented.
Pat Ward, Civil Aviation Branch official with Siptu, said the company is attempting to frustrate agreed processes and orchestrate strike action.
"It looks like a similar situation here as at Heathrow," he said. "The same tactics are being employed. We believe there is a deliberate attempt by the company to frustrate the matter."
He said an independent examiner had looked at the company's books and found that they could afford to pay Sustaining Progress.
"Following an overwhelming ballot in favour of industrial action, our members now have official sanction to take industrial action - up to and including strike - if management attempt to force through change without agreement. This will inevitably lead to some disruption to passenger services in airlines serviced by Gate Gourmet," Mr Ward added.
Gate Gourmet Ltd refused to comment. They referred The Irish Times to a statement issued in relation to the Heathrow airport dispute, which said the company has been in negotiation with the Transport and General Workers' Union and every effort was being made to reach a satisfactory conclusion.
The international catering company employs 22,000 people in 29 countries, supplying in-flight meals to airlines including British Airways, American Airlines, Air Canada, Air France, Lufthansa and CityJet.
Gate Gourmet was at the centre of a dispute with workers in the US in June when it tried to introduce cost-cutting through a reduction in the salaries of its 7,000 employees there.
