THERE is increasing uncertainty about the availability of Aer Lingus flights from midnight on Monday as unions and management show no sign of calling off, their confrontation over staffing levels on the Dublin New York route.
Unless there is third party intervention, industrial action is expected to begin at 12.01 a.m. on Tuesday and could rapidly escalate into a full scale strike.
The dispute is over a company decision to press ahead with plans to deploy a Delta employee as a "flag carrier" and member of the cabin crew on the daily 330 Airbus flight between Dublin and New York. The company is required to do so as part of its Worldwide Partnership agreement with the American airline.
There were signs of increasing militancy among workers at a meeting of cabin crew in Dublin last night. A SIPTU official, Mr Des Hughes, said the well attended meeting was full square behind the union's stance. "They're prepared to take on the company on this one," he said.
The union had sought meetings with management during the day and would continue to do so. A SIPTU committee would meet on Monday to finalise plans for industrial action, Mr Hughes added.
Cabin crew members who spoke to The Irish Times after the meeting expressed strong support for industrial action. Ms Jean Cashman, a senior cabin crew member, said crews on all sides "emphatically" backed the union on the issue. "From the young temps up to the most senior people we all agreed that we have to go on this one," she said.
Aer Lingus management had confirmed on RTE news that they intended replacing Aer Lingus staff with Delta staff. They, had "no argument" with Delta but were intent on securing Irish jobs, she said.
Another senior cabin crew member, Ms Eleanor Boyle, described the mood of the meeting as "absolutely united and very positive. We're talking about Irish jobs - Aer Lingus jobs for Aer Lingus people. The young girls coming up behind us - they're the ones who should get them. They shouldn't be going to Delta people," she said.
More than 40,000 people fly in and out of Ireland's main airports every day at this time of year, about half of them on Aer Lingus flights. However, an escalation in the dispute could see pickets placed on all Aer Rianta airports and massive disruption of air traffic.
Among the first people to be affected by the dispute could be the President, Mrs Robinson. She always travels on the state airline and is due to begin her first official visit to Britain on Tuesday.
Mrs Robinson is still in Iceland on her official visit there. The Department of Foreign Affairs said yesterday it would be reviewing her travel arrangements in light of the threatened dispute.
Tomorrow the company is to issue protective notice to all 6,000 employees. This means that from Friday, June 7th, Aer Lingus staff not directly involved in the dispute can be laid off without pay on a day to day basis.
Although the dispute directly involves only a handful of the company's 400 cabin crew, it has to be seen in the context of a major pay claim which SIPTU is due to lodge with Aer Lingus shortly. Both sides are, therefore, viewing the dispute over crew levels on the Dublin New York route as a trial of strength.
The new chairwoman of Aer Lingus, Ms Joan Loughnane, said on RTE yesterday the company had given enough and was not giving any more.
The union is to hold a series of meetings for manual operatives and clerical grades in the airline to explain the dispute to other members and why their support might be needed.
A further meeting of cabin crews will be held in Shannon today and a second meeting is planned for Dublin tomorrow. Several meetings are needed to ensure that crew members on all flights have a chance to be briefed.
Earlier yesterday Mr Hughes accused the company of acting provocatively by proposing to send out protective notices to all 6,000 employees tomorrow. If, he said, the move was intended to intimidate staff and isolate the cabin crews at the centre of the dispute from their colleagues it would backfire.
"The end result will be to unite our members more firmly," he said. Members were angrier than he had seen them at any time since the adoption of the Cahill rescue plan.
SIPTU cabin crew members rejected a proposal from the Labour Relations Commission earlier this month to allow the deployment of Delta personnel on a trial basis. They feared it would mean an erosion of jobs. Strike notice was served on the company when it decided to press ahead with the arrangement.
So far the union has indicated it would be taking selective industrial action, such as refusing to provide duty free sales. But the mood is hardening following the company decision on Tuesday to issue letters to cabin crew members warning them that they would face suspension if they failed to provide the full range of services normally available during flights.
The decision to follow up the letter with protective notice is seen by the union side as confirmation that management has adopted a more aggressive industrial relations line since the appointment of the new chief, executive, Mr Gary McGann.
However, the airline's corporate affairs director, Mr Dan Loughrey, denied this yesterday and said he was baffled at the approach SIPTU members were taking. He said the union was trying to avoid the real issues.
When the agreement was made on a Worldwide Partnership with Delta in March, SIPTU had welcomed it. The agreement still represented the best way forward and the best offer of long term job security for employees.
Far from leading to job losses, Aer Lingus was recruiting cabin crew, Mr Loughrey said. Within the past couple of weeks it had been decided to make 38 temporary cabin crew staff permanent and their contracts were currently being drawn up.
Mr McGann warned last week that the airline was still at a very vulnerable stage in its recovery. This could be seriously jeopardised by industrial action and jobs could be put at risk.