Management at Aer Lingus and the union Impact met separately today with the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) to discuss the situation over cabin crew who have rejected a controversial €97 million cost-saving plan.
However, Aer Lingus said yesterday that while it had accepted the LRC’s invitation for talks today, it remained committed to the full implementation of the cost-reduction programme.
It insisted that the talks at the commission did not constitute a reopening of negotiations with Impact.
Last week, Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller said the company would be terminating the employment of all 1,200 cabin crew.
Most would be rehired on inferior terms and conditions, but about 230 would be made compulsorily redundant and would receive only statutory entitlements of two weeks per year of service.
The move followed the rejection by cabin crew of the €97 million cost-saving plan that would have avoided compulsory redundancies.
All other groups in the company have accepted the plan.
More than 440 Aer Lingus staff in other grades who accepted the terms of the deal are to leave under a voluntary redundancy scheme. They will receive an overall severance package of six weeks per year of service.
Impact said yesterday its cabin crew had accepted the invitation from the LRC to attend discussions concerning Aer Lingus cost-saving measures.
The union said last week, following the airline’s announcement that it intended to make all cabin crew redundant, it had contacted the LRC “to see if it would be possible to reconvene the parties with a view to achieving a negotiated solution to disputed cost-saving measures”.
The union had recommended the approval of the proposed cost-saving measures contained in the plan which involved over 600 voluntary redundancies, pay cuts and work practice changes.
However, cabin crew rejected the proposals by a two-to-one margin.
Impact said it had acknowledged that aspects of the proposals would be very difficult for members to accept. It said the proposals were recommended on the basis that it would minimise job losses, and help sustain the future of the airline.