On a side note - a poster above referred to crew as a "shower of wasters". I fail to see how such remarks add value to the debate.
I was talking about the unions in EI because that's what they are, wasters. Wasting time and money - Aer Lingus' time and money. Every step of the way to reform seems to be resisted line by line which must have cost the airline millions in lost revenue, hire-ins (FR and Monarch, etc) and progress time while the opposition moves on. On a regular basis I'm sick of hearing reports that XXXX union in EI are "balloting their members for industrial action". It's like a sword through booked passenger's hearts.
In this case EI management appears to have decided from a cost-effective viewpoint to use 757's with a specified number of crew. End of story. It's none of the union's business but they're still living in the past and think they have a stranglehold on everything that moves. That's why it is essential that the management holds firm and shows them that they haven't. I feel very sorry for the abandoned trainees and the impact this will have on existing staff. Bright futures all ruined by, yes, wasters.