Air traffic control trade union representatives re-entered a dispute resolution process with AirNav Ireland.
Representatives received assurances that the semi-state company planned no use of its €310m cash pile to pay a dividend to the Government. Controllers in Dublin, Cork and Shannon demanded that the cash got used to fix the air traffic system.
Theys ay the system has become dependent on excessive overtime. Weeks saw airspace and runway closures at Irish airports at night when staff shortages left no cover for sickness.
Fórsa trade union in Ireland the umbrella body for the Irish Air Traffic Controllers Association (IATCA) union.
The union has been actively addressing critical safety concerns arising from severe understaffing and, more recently, opposition to mandatory overtime. The union highlights a deficit of 90 controllers from the required 350, demanding urgent recruitment to ensure safe, efficient operations.
The union emphasises that Air Traffic Controllers are the final barrier in the safety chain and require 100pc focus, making mandatory overtime unacceptable. Fórsa maintains that, while they do not object to safe, voluntary “call-in” schemes (agreed in 2009), forcing overtime on staff is not acceptable.
The union has previously raised concerns regarding the potential privatization of air traffic services.
The union IATCA shared in a written statement “we have a struggling air traffic system that has become totally dependent on excessive overtime”.
