Strike fears at Dublin Airport over pension dispute

Employees attached to Siptu at Dublin Airport Authority (DAA) have overwhelmingly voted in favour of strike action due to an on-going dispute over the DAA's pension fund.

Staff have been in dispute with management for some years as to how to restructure the pension fund. The Irish Aviation Superannuation Scheme (IAAS), which covers workers in the DAA, Shannon Airport and Aer Lingus, has a deficit of around €780 million.

Ninety-four per cent of those participating in a ballot voted in favour of industrial action, with 89 per cent specifying a preference for strike action, and 81 per cent looking for contributions to the pension scheme to stop.

The result of a similar ballot at Aer Lingus will be announced tomorrow.

The dispute over the shortfall in the pension scheme has been running for a number of years. The matter went to the Labour Court in January 2013 following a prior threat of industrial action by staff.