Aer Lingus strike averted as SIPTU to re-ballot staff

WIDESPREAD industrial action at Aer Lingus has been narrowly averted with SIPTU’s decision to re-ballot its members on cost-cutting proposals aimed at saving the airline €10 million a year.

Those same proposals were fine tuned in advance of yesterday’s emergency talks amid an ultimatum from the company that failure to accept the proposals, by 5pm yesterday, would result in suspension of staff and outsourcing of certain ground operations. Yesterday, SIPTU’s full shop stewards committee met at Dublin airport.

Following that meeting, a spokesman for the union said that it “considered sufficient progress had been made during intensive discussions with management since the original proposals were made to warrant a re-ballot of members”.