Union warns Aer Lingus over scheme costs

SIPTU has told Aer Lingus it will have to bear any costs to the union’s members if the company’s 2008 “leave and return” scheme is found to be flawed.

In November 2008 Aer Lingus had threatened to outsource or to make redundant more than 1,300 staff at the airline in order to secure €50m in cost savings.

However after strike threats and crisis talks it agreed a scheme with SIPTU in which workers would receive a redundancy package of nine weeks pay per year of service with a minimum payment of €30,000.