Union representatives at TEAM are to meet the chairman of FLS Aerospace next week to see if the Danish group can ease their concerns over the proposed purchase of the company from Aer Lingus.

It has also emerged that Aer Lingus has got preliminary legal advice that the letters of guarantee held by TEAM employees do not actually constitute "a job for life".

The letters were given to employees when they transferred from Aer Lingus to TEAM in 1991 guaranteeing them a job in the airline if TEAM was sold or went out of business. It is understood that Aer Lingus is drawing up contingency plans for an orderly winding down of TEAM, if the FLS deal does not go through.

According to the airline's preliminary advice, the airline has been told that if the workers holding the letters transferred to Aer Lingus, they could be made redundant if there was no work for them. This would not necessarily have to apply on a last in first out basis. Aer Lingus has offered £54.5 million to buy out the letters of guarantee and acceptance by the workforce would clear the way for the maintenance subsidiary to be sold to FLS.

FLS Aerospace chairman, Mr Steffen Harpoth, will meet the TEAM unions' representatives, probably on Tuesday, in Dublin.

Clarification is likely to be sought on a range of issues including security of employment and the issue of a pay pause which will carry on for some months when the employees join FLS.

Last month, 60 per cent of employees failed to respond to the offer to sell their letters of guarantee.

It emerged earlier this week that Aer Lingus will agree to allow workers transferring to FLS to stay in the Aer Lingus pension fund, if they so wish.