Aer Lingus decision is ‘Irish Ferries Mark II’

THE decision by Aer Lingus to outsource or make redundant 1,500 of its staff is the equivalent of “Irish Ferries Mark II”, ground staff union SIPTU claimed last night.

In announcing his union’s ballot for all-out strike action over the airline’s proposals, SIPTU national industrial secretary Gerry McCormack said: “This is Irish Ferries Mark II. It represents a firesale of good-quality jobs by a management that can see no further than the next quarter’s profit and loss sheet.

“Nobody in the company will emerge unscathed from this exercise. Even those who keep their jobs will have to sign up to new contracts, ‘a merit and performance based culture’ and a pay freeze until the end of 2009. The company has also told us it will continue to seek further savings, so surviving staff face the prospect of further reductions in pay and conditions, not to mention redundancy.”

Mr McCormack, speaking after a meeting with airline shop stewards, said his union was willing to discuss savings with the company and would enter into the talks process chaired by Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission.

“But, as we have made clear from the start, we are totally opposed to outsourcing,” he said. “That message does not seem to have gotten through to the management team and therefore we are in the place we are in.”

IMPACT, which represents cabin crew at the airline, said the proposals from the company were “draconian and severe”. It will meet with its shop stewards this morning.

Political reaction to the proposals was mixed.

The Labour party’s transport spokesman Tommy Broughan said job losses on such a scale would mean the national airline would be reduced to little more than a shell of its former self.

“What was once an international brand of recognised quality is now becoming just another low-cost airline. It is a matter of particular concern that a company in which the state holds a 25% shareholding should be planning to outsource jobs — some of them abroad.

“I accept that like all airlines, Aer Lingus is experiencing financial difficulties and that there will have to be savings. However, workers in the company have made significant sacrifices over the years, including huge changes in working conditions, in order to ensure that the company remained viable. They cannot be the only ones who are always asked to take the pain.”

Fine Gael transport spokesman Fergus O’Dowd said the survival of Aer Lingus was absolutely necessary to maintain a competitive airline industry in Ireland.

“However, the extent of the cost-cutting measures have understandably alarmed many working within the company. Management must make all efforts to find common agreement with its workforce.”