SIPTU and IMPACT have ruled out any outsourcing of cabin crew jobs at Aer Lingus under the company's €74m cost-cutting plan, announced yesterday.
On RTÉ Radio's Morning Ireland, IMPACT Assistant General Secretary Christina Carney said that while the union was willing to discuss cost-cutting measures with management, outsourcing was off the table.
SIPTU's National Industrial Secretary Gerry McCormack also ruled it out.
IMPACT has confirmed it is meeting members over cost-cutting proposals.
SIPTU is to ballot its 1,700 members at Aer Lingus for all-out industrial action in protest.
Yesterday, Aer Lingus told staff it intends to shed 1,500 jobs as part of the strategy.
Up to 280 jobs will go at Shannon Airport as part of the plan, which also involves a redundancy and early retirement programme, the outsourcing of many ground operations and the use of US cabin crew on transatlantic routes.
The airline will begin a consultation process chaired by Labour Relations Commission Director of Conciliation Kevin Foley.
The implementation of the new regime is scheduled for 1 December.
Unions will engage in the consultation process but have described the plan as draconian, drastic and devastating.
Meanwhile, Minister for Transport Noel Dempsey was due to brief the Cabinet this morning on the cost-cutting plan at Aer Lingus.
Speaking in Dublin earlier, Taoiseach Brian Cowen said the airline was facing a very difficult competitive position and that as a private company, it had to make commercial decisions.
He said that he hoped both sides at the company could use the industrial relations process to agree a solution.
