SIPTU: Aer Lingus issues 'are far from resolved'

The union representing the majority of Aer Lingus workers has said pay and pension issues at the national airline are far from resolved.

SIPTU members at the company have already voted for industrial action if their concerns in these areas are not addressed before the airline is sold off by the Government.

Reports this morning said Aer Lingus had offered a €250m package to the workers in an effort to "sweeten" the sale.

The package reportedly includes a lump-sum payment, a 3% pay rise, a share of profits and a major contribution to the staff pension scheme.

However, SIPTU spokesman Michael Halpenny said today that a lot of the issues covered in the sweetener deal were still "works in progress" that have yet to be finalised.

"The major elements of that are still under query with various advisors and, in the case of the pay and reward, it's actually with the chairman of the Labour Court at this point in time," he said.