One of the largest unions representing staff at Aer Lingus yesterday decided to recommend acceptance of the Labour Relations Commission's proposals for the survival of the airline.
SIPTU, which represents about 3,500 Aer Lingus staff, said its recommendation was subject to all redundancies being sought on a voluntary basis. The Labour Relations Commission's proposals included deferring pay increases over the next three years, which would be worth £40 million to the company.
SIPTU's national industrial secretary, Mr Noel Dowling, confirmed that despite the recommendation, a number of issues still had to be resolved, including proposals on an employee share ownership plan (ESOP). He said members would not be balloted on the proposals until the ESOP issue had been resolved. Talks with the Government on this issue will take place this afternoon, he confirmed.
Meanwhile, IMPACT, which represents 2,500 staff at the airline, is still considering the deal. Its assistant general secretary, Mr Michael Landers, said he did not expect the union to issue a recommendation on the proposals until concerns about ESOP had been resolved. His union would also resist compulsory redundancies, he said. Aer Lingus is seeking 2,050 redundancies.