IMPACT pilots and Aer Lingus have today agree to meet on Monday for talks in the Labour Relations Commission in an effort to settle the row over redundancies.
The meeting was arranged following an invitation from the Chief Executive of the LRC, Mr Kieran Mulvey, for talks to see if the Commission could be of assistance in settle the dispute.
Aer Lingus said it was happy to accept the invitation for talks, adding the Commission had played a key role in the formation of the airline’s survival plan last December.
IMPACT’s Mr Michael Landers said: "The union was anxious to resolve the dispute and said it sees the best way for the company to do this is if it withdraws its ten compulsory redundancy notices."
Yesterday the union, which represents 530 of Aer Lingus pilots, called a one-day strike for the following Monday, February 11th, after the company refused their demand to withdraw the redundancies.
IMPACT issued the demand after its members voted overwhelmingly in favour of ballot for industrial action. The result of the ballot for strike, announced yesterday, showed 97 per cent or 475 pilots were in favour of the motion. There was a 92 per cent turnout.