O'Rourke meets Aer Lingus unions

A Government spokesperson has described today’s meeting between Public Enterprise Minister Mary O’Rourke and unions at Aer Lingus as "realistic and workmanlike".

The talks, which focused on the issue of state aid for Aer Lingus lasted for just over an hour.

1,700 Aer Lingus staff are facing redundancy because of the fallout from the US attacks on September 11th, but current EU competition law makes it illegal for the Government to inject money into the airline to safeguard its future.