Aer Lingus seeks 51 voluntary redundancies from Shannon staff

AER Lingus has sought 51 voluntary redundancies from its Shannon Airport staff due to its decision to axe its Shannon-Heathrow services from next January.

Union representatives of workers at Shannon were notified of the expected lay-offs by the airline’s management on Thursday. A further six redundancies are also being sought from Aer Lingus staff based at Heathrow.

Opposition politicians claim the redundancies are a result of the Government’s inaction to prevent Aer Lingus switching its Heathrow slots from Shannon to Belfast.

The vast majority of the 51 redundancies are expected to come from 123 ground operations staff which include clerical staff, and baggage handlers.

Aer Lingus has issued staff with a deadline of December 14 to accept the voluntary redundancy package. It will be made available on the same terms as a earlier costcutting programme in 2004 which will guarantee workers with a minimum level of service a lump sum of €40,000.

In a letter to SIPTU, Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion said a recruitment freeze in all areas of the airline’s operation would also be applied with immediate effect.

He said the ban on hiring staff would only be lifted after existing workers had agreed plans for greater flexibility, mobility and extended working hours as part of the airline’s programme of continuous improvement.

Also, about 140 fixed-term contract staff will not have their contracts renewed after January 31, 2008.

Last night, a SIPTU spokesperson said Aer Lingus staff at Shannon would meet next week to discuss the planned job losses.

However, union sources predicted the airline was unlikely to reach its target number of redundancies on a voluntary basis.

The issue is also likely to be raised during talks involving Aer Lingus management and unions with the National Implementation Body early next week.

Meanwhile, Fine Gael Clare TD Joe Carey last night accused the Government of washing its hands of Shannon because of its laissez-faire approach to the closure of the Shannon-Heathrow route.

“The redundancies are a sad but inevitable outcome of Government inaction,” said Mr Carey.

Labour TD Jan O’Sullivan said the redundancies represented the tip of the iceberg in terms of potential job losses for the mid-west.

She blamed fears for the future of the local economy on “the politically-motivated decision by Fianna Fáil to privatise the airline”.

The Mayor of Clare, Cllr Patricia McCarthy, said the latest redundancies also raised questions about Aer Lingus’ long-term commitment to its transatlantic services from Shannon.