Talks aimed at resolving the dispute at Aer Lingus are expected to continue this weekend at the Labour Relations Commission after they adjourned just before 9pm tonight.
The talks began this afternoon when a delegation involving Impact and cabin crew arrived at the commission shortly after 2.30pm.
About 215 members of cabin crew at Aer Lingus have been taken off the payroll since Monday of last week for refusing to operate new rosters which were introduced unilaterally by the company.
The new talks follow a joint intervention yesterday by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (Ictu) and the employers' body Ibec.
This morning, after a private meeting, Ictu general secretary David Begg and Ibec's director of industrial relations Brendan McGinty issued a joint statement recommending the parties re-engage with the commission "with the specific purpose of refining the contentious issues arising from the new rosters".
The issues would then be clarified by the commission arbitrator, Kieran Mulvey, and this would be regarded by the parties as "final and binding" and would bring the dispute to an end, the statement said.
"Ibec and Ictu will engage with the LRC and the arbitrator on our deliberations with a view to getting the process underway as soon as possible," it said. "The parties have assured us of their fullest co-operation and engagement with a view to a speedy resolution.
Several thousand passengers have been affected by the cancellation of dozens of flights over recent days. The airline cancelled 18 flights yesterday.
Aer Lingus has said the new rosters were essential in achieving an increase in flying hours for cabin crew agreed as part of an overall cost-saving plan at the airline known as Greenfield.
Cabin crew have said that while they have agreed to the additional flying hours, the rosters put in place are too onerous and are not family-friendly.
