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SIPTU members to ballot on ‘Irish Ferries’ Mark II move by Aer Lingus management

Date Released: 06 Oct 2008

SIPTU members in Aer Lingus decided this evening to ballot for all out industrial action. Responding to management plans to outsource all ground operations and introduce a pay freeze and poorer terms and conditions for other staff, SIPTU National Industrial Secretary Gerry McCormack said, "This is Irish Ferries Mark II. It represents a fire sale of good quality jobs by a management that can see no further than the next quarter’s profit and loss sheet.

"Nobody in the company will emerge unscathed from this exercise. Even those who keep their jobs will have to sign up to new contracts, ‘a merit and performance based culture’ and a pay freeze until the end of 2009. The company has also told us that it will continue to seek further savings so that surviving staff face the prospect of further reductions in pay and conditions, not to mention redundancy.

"We are perfectly willing to discuss savings with the company and will be entering the process to be chaired by Kevin Foley of the Labour Relations Commission. But, as we have made clear from the start, we are totally opposed to outsourcing. That message does not seem to have gotten through to the management team and therefore we are in the place we are in.