Aer Lingus was confident last night that a sufficient proportion of TEAM workers had voted to transfer to FLS to make the sale of its aircraft maintenance plant to the Danish conglomerate viable. However, it warned that about 310 of the 350 craftworkers who had rejected the £54.6 million transfer package would face redundancy.
The Minister for Public Enterprise, Mrs O'Rourke, is to meet senior Aer Lingus management today to be given a detailed breakdown of the vote. She will report to tomorrow's Cabinet meeting and hopes to meet union representatives before the end of the week.
Mrs O'Rourke last night welcomed the 72 per cent vote in favour of the transfer to FLS as a "practical and sensible" outcome. It was now a question of progressing the transfer of TEAM to FLS "as quickly as possible", she said.
The Minister reminded the 28 per cent of TEAM workers who have so far refused to accept the transfer package that the offer remains open.
So far, 1,100 of the 1,550 TEAM employees have signed acceptance forms. Under the terms of this they will agree to transfer to FLS and, in return for surrendering their letters of guarantee of employment at Aer Lingus and other rights, compensation of £54.6 million will be divided among them. Each worker will receive about £32,500.
At present, many TEAM employees are on holiday, and some of the remainder are still availing of the advisory services being provided by Aer Lingus to help them evaluate their individual offers. The fact that Aer Lingus has only jobs for 40 TEAM workers is expected to result in more acceptance forms being returned in the next few days.
Aer Lingus has also made it clear that it will not operate on the basis of "first in, last out" in deciding which of the returning TEAM employees will be retained. "The overriding issue is whether there is work for the people involved", an airline spokesman said. "Anyone returning will have no more rights than other Aer Lingus employees. In effect, they are making themselves redundant by refusing work in the sense that a job is available for them in FLS."
A TEEU official, Mr Eamon Devoy, who led the TEAM negotiations on the union side, welcomed the outcome of the ballot. However, in a reference to possible difficulties over redundancy and seniority issues, he said: "The industrial relations agenda moves on, rather than becomes resolved, as a result of this vote."
The largest union in TEAM is SIPTU, which has been promoting acceptance of the buy-out package. Its senior official, Mr Tony Walsh, commented: "All the indications are that FLS is prepared to run with the figures and that has to be welcomed."
However, FLS was reserving its position last night. A spokesman said that it would await detailed discussions with Aer Lingus on the outcome of the vote before proceeding further.
Less than half of the cost of buying out the TEAM workers' letters of guarantee of employment is likely to be recouped from the sale of the company to FLS.