Aer Lingus cuts - Mid-west must not be deserted
With the airport on the verge of going it alone when the Government finally breaks up Aer Rianta, the State-owned airport group, the job cuts have copper-fastened local perceptions that it is withdrawing from Shannon.
Like it or not, there is a growing feeling Aer Lingus is not interested in the airport’s future. Under pressure to cut costs, it is targeting the servicing and handling of company planes and those of other airlines at Shannon. However, critics claim it is consolidating all of its activities in Dublin.
Politicians accuse the company of reducing its commitment to Shannon as it moves to reform its operating structures and processes there. Arguably however, if compulsory redundancies are ruled out, the impact of the severance deal will be cushioned for the workforce.
The sheer scale of industrial relations problems besetting Aer Lingus was also visible at the Labour Relations Commission where management yesterday met representatives of the cabin crew union, IMPACT, who have voted overwhelmingly for strike action over compulsory relocations of 29 staff from Shannon to Dublin.
On a separate front, the airline also faces industrial action by pilots who fear redundancies are looming because there is not enough work for them.
With Aer Lingus flying into a storm, it behoves the Government to ensure its handling of plans to privatise the State-controlled airline do not cause even greater turbulence.
