Talks between Aer Lingus and IMPACT officials to avert a strike by cabin crews next Wednesday have broken down. There are no plans to resume talks.
Unless there is a significant breakthrough by Monday the company is thought likely to cancel most, if not all, of Wednesday's schedules.
After talks broke down last night the company said in a strongly worded statement that IMPACT was seeking a 50 per cent increase on the award made by the Labour Court last week. "Conceding the IMPACT demands would add an additional £3 million to the cabin crew pay bill on top of the £5.7 million cost of the implementation of the Labour Court recommendation," the company's director of corporate affairs, Mr Dan Loughrey, said.
However, IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Ms Christina Carney, said: "The company made no constructive proposals in two days of talks. Management asked IMPACT to put forward proposals and then asked time to cost them. They came back with figures that were clearly inflated."
Ms Carney accepted that the real gap between the two sides was big and there was no resolution of the dispute in sight.
There was more bad news for the airline yesterday when 90 per cent of SIPTU cabin crew also rejected the Labour Court recommendation on new pay scales and working conditions. IMPACT rejected the same proposals by 98 per cent last week.
SIPTU will now carry out a strike ballot, which is set to conclude next Friday. The union's assistant branch secretary, Mr Morgan Nolan, said he expected the vote would be for strike action, but added that SIPTU remained available for talks.
British Midland ground operations staff in Dublin are expected to resume their industrial action tomorrow unless there is a breakthrough in talks today.