Ireland's biggest trade union called off a planned strike at the country's three main airports, which had threatened to disrupt the arrival of ministers for a key European Union meeting.

Workers at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports had planned to strike between 0800 and 1000 GMT on Thursday in protest at government restructuring plans.

But SIPTU (the Services, Industrial, Professional and Technical Union), which represents more than 70 percent of workers at state-owned airport operator Aer Rianta, said in a statement it had abandoned the strike.

"We have decided to suspend the limited industrial action scheduled for tomorrow," SIPTU general president Jack O'Connor said, recognizing the government had given ground over job security in recent negotiations.

However, he said, SIPTU retained the right to strike in the future if talks did not progress.

"We remain deeply sceptical of the degree to which assurances on security and quality of employment can be sustained," O'Connor said.

Ireland is to host a two-day meeting of EU justice and home affairs ministers in Dublin from Thursday.

(Reuters)