Thousands of passengers at Aer Lingus face the possibility of further disruption, as the row over cost cuts at the airline escalated this evening.
The company has warned 1,800 ground staff that it will close or outsource certain operations next Wednesday if they do not accept a package of costcutting proposals by Tuesday at 5pm.
The proposals were negotiated by management and SIPTU officials six weeks ago, but members rejected that package last week.
It is no great surprise that Aer Lingus has moved to put pressure on SIPTU.
For 15 months, the airline has been trying to shave €20m a year off its staff costs.
Pilots and cabin crew have already accepted their respective productivity deals which together will save the company €10m annually.
But last week, the 1,800 ground staff belonging to SIPTU emphatically rejected costcutting proposals affecting their grades, which were intended to save the airline a further €10m a year.
Now management has told the SIPTU members that they have until this Tuesday to accept the proposals negotiated by their union officials and the company.
If they refuse, certain ground operations may be closed or outsourced from Wednesday.
It is expected local management and representatives will be negotiating over the next week in a bid to avert a showdown.
But if they do not reach agreement by Tuesday, thousands of passengers will face - yet again - the threat of industrial action and disruption.
