From to-day's Irish Indepedent.
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Aer Lingus strike warning as 78 pilots face the chop
AER Lingus will today tell 78 pilots they are being sacked to make up the 156-pilot job cuts it needs.
If the pilots resist the euro51m rescue plan, the state airline may collapse.
Airline chief executive Willie Walsh, a former pilot, has said 60 co-pilots and 18 others of pilot grade must go - and compulsory redundancy notices will be served on some of them today.
Last night, however, pilot's union secretary Michael Landers warned that a strike ballot will begin next week if any IMPACT members are sacked. Rather than selecting 78 pilots, similar savings could be achieved by offering enhanced early retirement to 20 senior captains, he said.
He added: "Pilots have been singled out for this and refused the same terms as other airline staff. We will be recommending a vote for industrial action next week."
Airline spokesman Dan Loughrey said: "We failed to make any progress on reductions in pilot numbers, essential to the survival plan. Therefore, we will have to issue compulsory redundancy notices."
The pilots, members of the IMPACT union, are being selected on a last-in, first-out basis. They were told at a two-hour meeting yesterday the company must cut its 540 pilots by 156, and that it remains 78 jobs short of that target.
Part of their agreement allows for some involuntary redundancies. However, it is a tough measure for staff who six months ago were trying to secure a 60pc wage rise. Their agreed wage rise of about 20pc has been frozen as part of cuts.
Three months ago the airline unions agreed to participate in the plan to cut 2,056 jobs on the basis they would all be voluntary and no services would be outsourced.
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