Siptu ordered to pay Ryanair, DAA costs over strike injunction

Siptu has been ordered to pay the legal costs incurred by the DAA and Ryanair in their successful applications for injunctions preventing stoppages at the country's airports.

Mr Justice Paul Gilligan last week made orders preventing Siptu holding four-hour stoppages last Friday morning at Dublin Shannon and Cork airports as part of the long-running dispute over proposed cuts in pension benefits.

Today, the judge ruled the DAA and Ryanair are entitled to their legal costs of those applications but he put a stay on the costs orders pending the outcome of the hearing of the full action between the sides.

Siptu had argued any costs orders against it would be “draconian“and urged that that the issue of liability for costs of the injunctions application be deferred until the full case was decided.

Richard Kean SC, for the union, argued the making of costs order would not help resolve the pensions dispute.

In his ruling, the judge said the court had granted the injunction sought by the DAA it was entitled to its costs in that regard. While it had not proven necessary, given the DAA finding, to consider Ryanair’s application, the airline had raised relevant issues which were not raised by the DAA and it was therefore also entitled to its costs.

A stay applies on both those costs orders.

Following his ruling, the judge again expressed hope all relevant parties would takes steps to resolve the dispute concerning pensions of workers at the DAA and Aer Lingus.

Union members at both Aer Lingus and the DAA voted for industrial action last month over a €780 million deficit in the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme (IASS), jointly operated by Aer Lingus and the DAA.

After separate negotiations between unions, the DAA, and Aer Lingus ended without a resolution, Siptu had notified the DAA, Cork and Shannon airports and Aer Lingus its members planned industrial action.