Airline and union to hold talks as 230 jobs under threat
The crunch talks follow a management threat to implement 230 compulsory redundancies after the rejection of a cost-cutting plan by some staff and the announcement of an €87 million loss by the airline. The worsening situation was part of the continued deterioration in industrial relations, which saw SIPTU issue a four-week strike warning that its members intend implementing a two-day stoppage at Dublin’s seven main hospitals.
Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller stated he informed the Department of Enterprise of the redundancies, and a 30-day notice period had been served. He added that there will be no “sweetheart deal” for cabin crews and the €97m cost-cutting plan they rejected would go ahead “within days”.
In a statement, IMPACT said the union had recommended the cost saving proposals to its members “on the basis that they would have minimised job losses, and help sustain the future of the airline”.
However, they had been rejected last Friday by 64% to 36% on a 100% turnout. Members of three other Aer Lingus unions accepted the management plan.
Experts from all four unions had been allowed access to company information prior to their ballots.
The IMPACT statement said that members refusal of the deal had been influenced by the cost of a series of pervious deals going back to 2001 which had “all impacted negatively on earnings and working conditions.
“In this context, suggestions that cabin crew had sought, or were somehow seeking a ‘sweetheart deal’ are both wrong and extremely unhelpful.”
Meanwhile, SIPTU announced it had served strike notice on seven hospitals.
Some 4,500 SIPTU members will withdraw their labour from 1am on Wednesday, April 7 until 1am on Friday, April 9.
The action would include porters, catering personnel, security, health care assistants and supervisors.
The public hospitals affected are St James’s, St Vincent’s, Connolly Memorial, Mater, Beaumont, Tallaght and St Colmcille’s.
SIPTU health sector organiser Paul Bell said the move was provoked by management’s failure to honour the terms of the Towards 2016 Transitional Agreement 2008, or enter talks on another agreement.
“Other hospitals in Dublin will have disputes in the weeks to follow and action in acute hospitals will be rolled out in the regions. Hospitals not on strike in Dublin are organising a solidarity fund to support striking workers.”
He said unions had given the Government enough notice to make alternative arrangements to provide cover for the striking staff.
The move follows the ICTU public service committee announcing on Monday that unions would resort to strikes in their campaign.
Finance Minster Brian Lenihan briefed the Cabinet on the worsening scene yesterday. However, a Government source said “back channels were being utilised to contact union leaders”.
Social welfare offices in Cork city, Waterford and north Dublin were closed to the public yesterday as part of the ongoing action.
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