Aer Lingus unions’ stance unchanged by IAG

Unions at Aer Lingus say a meeting with the head of International Airlines Group, the company seeking to take over the airline, told them nothing new that would convince them to reverse their opposition to the proposed acquisition.

Following a 90-minute meeting with the unions representing the airline’s cabin and ground crew, IAG chief executive Willie Walsh said he had reaffirmed “quite strongly, I would hope” the best guarantee of job security for workers at Aer Lingus was to be in a growth business.

“We are not bidding for a company to do anything other than to grow it,” he said. “We see an opportunity to grow Aer Lingus. We think that opportunity is significantly enhanced by being part of IAG.”