SIPTU and Aer Lingus are due to begin talks at 3 p.m. today at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) in an effort to avert Friday's planned strike by 3,000 Aer Lingus clerical and operative staff.
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Passengers delayed on Friday due to strike action
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Both sides admit that given the gap between them it will be 'difficult' to reach an agreement before the midnight deadline on Thursday.
SIPTU are planning a further stoppage on Thursday, April 12th, which is the start of the Easter bank holiday weekend if no breakthrough in the talks is reached.
Aer Lingus is estimated to have lost around £2 million as a result of last Friday's strike and 20,000 passengers were affected by the stoppage, which was the fourth since industrial unrest over pay broke out six months ago.