Aer Lingus meets pilots over cuts

Aer Lingus and IMPACT will meet on Monday in a last attempt to avoid compulsory redundancies among the airline's pilots and the prospect of a damaging strike.By Arthur Beesley and John McManus

The airline has told IMPACT, which represents the 531 pilots, that it will issue involuntary redundancy notices next week. Up to 80 junior pilots - mostly co-pilots - will be the first to be given notice.

The meeting on Monday follows a request from IMPACT to the airline not to proceed until all other options have been explored.

Mr Michael Landers, the union's assistant general secretary, said he was hopeful that the airline could get the redundancies it seeks on a voluntary basis provided it offers the pilots the same terms as other staff.

The packages being offered to pilots are capped at €65,000 (£51,155) compared with the €230,000 they would receive if they got the same terms as the other 1,600 staff who have taken the voluntary scheme.

The airline has argued that it cannot afford to offer the pilots - who are substantially better paid than most employees - the same terms. If the pilots got the same conditions, it would consume €20 million of the €50 million available for redundancies under the Aer Lingus rescue plan.

Mr Landers said the airline had not yet made a realistic offer to the pilots. The union has already said that it will ballot pilots over strike action if the company goes down the compulsory redundancy route.

The company wants to lay off 80 pilots and, to date, only a handful have expressed interest. Some 14 pilots have opted for career breaks while 44 trainee pilots have been laid off. Another 24 pilots working on short-term contracts will leave by September.

The first of the 1,600 staff leaving under the voluntary scheme left yesterday and more will follow on a phased basis over the next few weeks.

The airline is anxious to resolve the issue of pilots in order to proceed with the other leg of its rescue plan, the search for a strategic investor.

NCB Corporate Finance, which is advising the airline, is in the process of completing an information memorandum, which will be sent to prospective bidders shortly.