This article is from page 17 of the 2008-10-14 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 17 JPG
A BALLOT of workers at Aer Lingus which would mandate their union, SIPTU, to take industrial action over plans to outsource jobs is expected to take at least two weeks.
As 280 workers at Shannon con- template their future, the union is sending ballot papers to each and every member in a bid to get a large
turn-out and a strong mandate for ac- tion.
Unions SIPTU and IMPACT have both pledged to fight the plan which would see the axing and outsourcing of 1,500 jobs nationwide.
Meanwhile, preliminary contact on the plan is believed to have been made between Aer Lingus manage- ment and SIPTU but both sides have agreed on a media black-out on any
talks for the present.
It’s expected that union members will overwhelmingly mandate their representatives to declare industrial action if talks fail to reach a resolu- tion on the plan which aims to save the company €74 million.
Management wants the bulk of that saving – €50 million – to come from a reduction in staff costs.
SIPTU’s Tony Carroll said that a
written agreement exists between the company and the unions barring all outsourcing until after 2010. The detail of this agreement is now being examined, he said.
“It was agreed in 2006 as part of the charter of fundamental rights for workers in Aer Lingus at the time of the privatisation,’ he said.
Meanwhile, IMPACT spokeswom- an, Christina Carney said that the
proposals are not acceptable. “Not for the first time, Aer Lingus have turned to their workers and asked them to carry the burden. But at this time, the company have set out proposals which could see Irish jobs shipped to the US during a period of ACTS (Oe
‘To export jobs during a recession is unacceptable and we will fight any attempt to do that.”