The SIPTU president, Mr Jimmy Somers, yesterday called for the introduction of emergency legislation to enable the Labour Court to issue findings in the Ryanair dispute that would be binding on the company.
Mr Somers said the legislation was essential because of Ryanair's refusal to respond positively to the court or the social partners. He repeated the trade union view that the intractable Ryanair dispute was placing in jeopardy the Partnership 2000 agreement.
It was intolerable, he said, that at the end of the 20th century individual workers should be subjected to "such incredible pressures from a cavalier employer while simply seeking to be professionally represented in negotiations on their very low pay".
Mr Somers added that it was time to confront extremists among employers who were attempting to "tear down" institutions which brought about industrial peace, assisted in the resolution of conflict in industrial relations and served the community well.
He was particularly appalled at the accusations levelled at SIPTU members in recent days after Ryanair management claimed that some of its baggage-handling equipment at Dublin Airport had been sabotaged. He called on the Garda to make public the result of its investigation "as my understanding is that none of our members were at work when the alleged incidents took place".
A Garda spokesman said yesterday there were no developments to report in the investigation.
The Sinn Fein TD for Cavan-Monaghan, Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain, yesterday expressed support for the baggage-handlers. "At stake in the Ryanair dispute is the basic right of citizens to join a trade union. The workers deserve the support of everybody, not only in their struggle to win decent pay and conditions, but also to assert a right which is supposed to be guaranteed in the Constitution", he said.
Mr Tommy Broughan, the Labour Party spokesman on enterprise and employment, called into question the bona fides of the Fine Gael party in the Ryanair dispute. This follows a statement issued last Friday by the Waterford TD, Mr Austin Deasy, which called on the public to support the company and not boycott Ryanair services. He called on the Fine Gael leader, Mr John Bruton, to dissociate himself from Mr Deasy's remarks.