The planned strike at Aer Lingus that had threatened to cause major disruption for tens of thousands of passengers this week has been suspended.
Following a lengthy meeting of its shop stewards at the airline on Saturday, the trade union Siptu said that the strike over the implementation of a €20 million cost-cutting programme by Aer Lingus management would not be going ahead.
Siptu national industrial secretary Michael Halpenny said the action was being suspended pending the outcome of a process proposed on Friday by the National Implementation Body (NIB) to deal with the row between unions and management over the cost-saving plan.
The meeting of shop stewards on Saturday lasted for nearly six hours, far longer than had been anticipated. Siptu did not comment on whether the vote on the NIB proposals had been tight.
The Aer Lingus shop stewards are to meet again to consider the outcome of the NIB process on Tuesday, December 4th.
Under the NIB proposals "a suitably qualified person" is to be appointed to carry out a forensic analysis of the company's cost-cutting proposals and their implications for staff.
The independent expert is expected to seek to validate how the €20 million savings set out in the company's plan were arrived at and to examine whether there are any alternative measures that could be put in place.
The Aer Lingus plan would see major reforms to overtime arrangements, working practices and holiday entitlements.
The NIB is also to meet Aer Lingus management and all the unions to discuss various industrial relations processes that are under way on a number of issues, including the cost-cutting plan and the pay freeze for staff introduced by management in October until its reform programme is implemented.
The NIB - the State's industrial relations trouble-shooting body composed of senior Government, trade union and employer representatives - is to assess progress following a meeting with the parties on Wednesday, November 28th. It is to issue a final statement on the dispute on Monday, December 3rd.
In its statement on Friday the NIB asked Siptu not take any industrial action in the intervening period. It also said management should not issue any revised contracts to staff.
"For the duration of this process the relevant terms for all employees should be those agreed through collective bargaining.
"Contracts will be further amended to take account of any agreed outcome from this process," the NIB stated.
Aer Lingus management has said that the cost-containment plan, known as the programme for continuous improvement (PCI), was essential for the airline's future sustainability.
However Siptu has maintained that some of its members faced losing up to €5,000 in pay under the plan and that compensation offered by management was insufficient.
The union had served strike notice for rolling four-hour stoppages on Tuesday and Friday this week. It had also applied to Ictu for an all-out strike, after management warned it would suspend up to 1,800 members, mainly baggage handlers and clerical and check-in staff, if they did not undertake in writing not to participate in the action.
In a statement issued after the meeting on Saturday, Mr Halpenny said: "Following extensive discussions at a special general meeting of Aer Lingus shop stewards today, the union has agreed to suspend industrial action planned for November 20th and 23rd, for the period of the NIB process . . . We expect the company to involve itself in the process in good faith. Our objective in this process is to ensure an alternative solution can be explored which does not involve reducing our members' pay and conditions of employment."