The largest union at Aer Lingus is this evening warning that industrial action is still possible at the airline, despite the company's announcement that over 1,600 people have expressed an interest in taking redundancy.
Siptu national industrial secretary Mr Mick Halpenny said any attempt to circumvent agreed procedures for co-operating on restructuring the company could lead to the union calling for industrial action.
Siptu members at the airline have already balloted in favour of action up to and including all-out strike.
During a break in talks on the proposal to lay-off 3,000 workers over the next three years, Mr Halpenny said this evening: "In the event that management seeks to introduce change without agreement, we have not ruled out industrial action in accordance with our ballot."
He attributed the surge in interest for the redundancy package to the union's success in securing improvements on the company's original offer.
"But these are only expressions of interest by people examining all of their options," Mr Halpenny stressed.
He also expressed concern about the company's plan for outsourcing, saying that good quality jobs would be replaced by contract workers employed under worse working conditions.
"We believe this approach breaches the commitments given by the Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, to SIPTU and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions that the Government would not allow a 'race to the bottom' in the semi-state sector."
On the redundancies issue Mr Halpenny said that SIPTU was "pleased that the Labour Court endorsed our views on the inadequacy of the original offer from the company.