Union slams Aer Lingus sale plan

Impact, the largest trade union representative of staff at Aer Lingus, has written to Transport Minister Paschal Donohoe warning that assurances about job security in the event of the airline being sold are “worthless”.

The union also said that if IAG succeeds in its attempts to buy Aer Lingus, the move will result in higher air fares for consumers and would damage economic recovery, saying this has been the typical trend with previous airline mergers and takeovers.

In its letter, dated yesterday, IMPACT’s national secretary, Matt Staunton, said: “It is our considered view that a successful bid and subsequent merging of the airlines will result in higher consumer costs, which would be tremendously damaging to our fragile economic recovery.”