The National Implementation Body (NIB) has hosted talks between management and unions at Aer Lingus in an effort to break the deadlock over the airline’s proposed cost-cutting plan.
Both sides accepted an invitation to talks yesterday from the NIB, the State’s main industrial relations troubleshooting body, shortly after the trade union Siptu served notice for strike action at the airline.
Speaking after the meeting, Siptu’s national industrial secretary Gerry McCormack said the union outlined its concerns and “told them we believe a process can be found that will provide a solution to the current dispute at Aer Lingus that achieves the efficiencies sought by the company without outsourcing.
"We now need to know if the management team at Aer Lingus is willing to engage with us in such a process,” he added.
"The NIB has told us it will reflect on what has been said by all of the parties and will contact us in due course."
Siptu is opposed to the company’s plan to cut nearly 1,300 jobs through outsourcing, redundancy and early retirement.
Aer Lingus insists its cost-containment proposals are necessary to ensure the airline’s survival in what it describes as a “deteriorating operating environment”.
In its strike notice, Siptu said it intended to commence either limited industrial action such as work stoppages or a full-scale strike with the placing of pickets from November 24th.