Midland Deltic,
Firstly, I'm very sorry to hear that you are in that situation and certainly hope that you find something very soon.
The problem is though - the majority of EI Cabin crew are not living outside of reality. The depth of cuts which they have borne in the past three years now have been severe - compounded salary reductions, greatly increased working hours, reduced or non existent meal breaks etc. The cuts that they have borne have also been disproportionate to the cuts across the remainder of the group.
I would like to point out to you that EI yields are on a continuous upward trajectory, with the latest guidance from the company today indicating that operating profits, before exceptional items, will be at least €20 million for 2010 - that is an enormous turnaround from 2009. The EI share price has also risen by more than 100% over the past 16 months. The company has gross cash in excess of €1 billion and Net, unrestricted cash reserves in excess of €400 million.
Yes, cabin crew have to accept pain - but they have already done so, time and time again.
The fact that Aer Lingus pilots have also balloted for industrial action speaks volumes about the airline's HR function.
EI Premier