And so it goes on. And on. The TEAM Aer Lingus saga faces another "final" deadline today and this time perhaps it is for real.

If a clear majority of workers do no accept the terms of transfer to FLS, then the Danes are likely to withdraw, management will get ready to wind down the operation and all hell will break loose as the prospect of large-scale job losses hits home politically.

There can be no doubt at this stage that FLS really wants the TEAM facility. Apparently the successful Danish company has more work than it can cope with and is desperately seeking extra capacity to meet forthcoming orders. Its need must be quite intense, given the efforts that FLS management have made to try to bring the TEAM workers on board, so to speak.

And with a hefty financial offer also on the table, perhaps the TEAM employees will finally believe the message from Aer Lingus and the Government that this is their best chance.

How much of a majority needs to accept the transfer terms for the deal to go through is open to question. Clearly an acceptance rate of just more than half would not be enough, but if it got up towards 70 per cent, then FLS might be prepared to take the plunge. If the deal falls through, then the implications are serious not only for TEAM itself, but also for the Aer Lingus group, which faces an industrial relations nightmare which will further delay its search for a strategic alliance partner.