Cuts plan puts airline and unions on collision course

Oct 8 2009 by Iain Laing, The Journal

AER Lingus and trade unions are facing a bitter dispute over plans to make 676 job cuts and £92m savings.

The Irish airline is targeting lay-offs among pilots, cabin crew and ground staff, warning that redundancies are needed in order to compete with rivals.

Siptu, Ireland’s largest union, said the proposals were an overreaction to the downturn, while Impact said the cuts were radical and severe.

About 489 jobs will go from pilots, ground handlers and cabin crew, with a further 187 redundancies at head office and in support areas.

Gerry McCormack, Siptu’s national industrial secretary, said: “Job cuts seem to be extreme and draconian and an overreaction to the current difficult economic climate.”

A spokesman for Impact, which represents 1,500 cabin crew said: “That the proposal also contains such a significant number of cabin crew job losses is, in our view, deeply unfair and devastating to our members.”

Aer Lingus said it could not continue with current operating costs with 3,879 staff and insisted redundancies were essential. The aim is to bring day-to-day costs down by £90m by the end of 2011.