Aer Lingus has threatened to withold national pay increases due to cabin crew unless negotiations on work practice changes and cost cuts are concluded by the 31 January.
The airline is seeking staff costs cuts totalling around €20m a year under its restructuring programme PCI-07.
Since last year Aer Lingus has been withholding wage increases due under Towards 2016 because unions have not yet fully agreed work practice reforms.
An interim deal reached with the National Implemetaion Body before Christmas provided that negotiations with cabin crew should take place with progress to be reviewed at the end of this month.
However, in a letter to the cabin crew union IMPACT today, Aer Lingus says that if change is not fully agreed by the end of the month staff should consider the wage increases foregone.
A spokesperson for IMPACT described the letter as a stunt and as accelerating the talks process.
He said there was no basis in either the NIB statement or the Towards 2016 agreement for Aer Lingus to compensate the money.
Under Towards 2016 staff were due to get an increase of 2.5% from 1 October with a further 2.5% due on 1 April.
