CABIN CREW at Aer Lingus are to vote again on the controversial €97 million cost-saving plan.
The move follows separate discussions between management and trade union Impact with the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).
Highly-placed sources said yesterday that the deal on which the cabin crew will again vote would be the same as that rejected by them earlier this month, although clarifications had been received in some areas.
Management’s plan involves pay cuts, voluntary redundancies and changes to work practices.
Four other groups at the airline have voted to accept the cost-saving programme.
Following the recent ballot result, the airline announced that it would make all 1,200 cabin crew redundant and rehire most on inferior terms and conditions. However, it said 230 would be made compulsorily redundant and that they would receive only their statutory entitlements.
Impact said that following discussions at the LRC, its cabin crew negotiating team now had “deeper clarification in a number of areas”. The branch will now consult with members at a general meeting on March 22nd with a view to holding a ballot thereafter, Impact said.
“The company now awaits the outcome of this reballot,” Aer Lingus said.
The company’s director of human resources, Michael Grealy, said Aer Lingus planned to proceed with restructuring agreements already accepted by the four other unions. He warned it was essential that everybody understood that the agreement Aer Lingus had with the other four unions would be adhered to.
The carrier has said that if the plan to make the 230 cabin crew compulsorily redundant went ahead, the staff concerned would receive only their statutory entitlements.