Premium crew, like it or not that's the new reality. Other unions and staff in Aer Lingus accepted this reality, for some reason Cabin Crew haven't.
Unions have only themselves to blame. The screwed the system for years to the detriment of jobs and profits.
As for economic conditions being used as cover, that's not quite true. This has been ongoing for some time and in part is a consequence of unions misusing their position. We won't be returning to the days before unions. I've worked in several non union companies. Most except for a certain other Irish airline go out of their way to keep employees happy simply because it's in the best interests of the company itself. Disgruntled employees are bad for business.