Aer Lingus is understood to want the vast majority of its 1,325 staff redundancy programme to be completed by early next year.

In information provided to some union members last week, it is believed reference was made to 983 staff departing by early next year, with a further 20 per cent in 2006 and the remainder in 2007.

The company refused to comment on a report in the Sunday Business Post yesterday, which suggested the redundancy programme would be "front-loaded", with 75 per cent of job cuts taking place over the next four months.

The company said all discussions with unions were confidential and the airline would continue to operate on that basis with staff and their representatives. A meeting is scheduled on Tuesday between the airline's management and the Central Representative Council.

Some reports have suggested unions want 25 per cent of the equity in the airline in exchange for not opposing the voluntary redundancies. But this would strictly be a matter for the Government, as the airline does not have the power to allocate shares.

The unions are also likely to press for pay increases at the airline, but this is likely to be strongly resisted by management who have staked their reputations on keeping costs down.

The IMPACT assistant general secretary, Mr Michael Landers, has said if staff are forced to accept extra work and responsibility following the redundancy programme, this might be the basis for a new pay claim.