1993-1994.The Cahill Plan, named after the company's chief executive Bernie Cahill (left), is devised as a result of the airline's near-collapse in the early 1990s, when internal weaknesses were exposed by a worldwide slump in the airline business following the Gulf crisis.

The plan proposes the following elements: a Government injection of €175 million, more than 1,200 redundancies, changes in work practices, a pay freeze, casualisation at certain grades; the granting of a 5 per cent share in Aer Lingus to workers; a £250 million disposal of non-core assets.

1995:The airline initiates a five-year plan to examine the future direction of the company.

1996.The year sees major protests by cabin crew and pilots. Cabin crew protest about the staffing implications of an agreement between Aer Lingus and Delta Airlines which was signed that year.

Aer Lingus pilots, through the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (IALPA), protest on grounds of pay, arguing that they are paid less than European counterparts.

1998.Sale of Team Aer Lingus. After a long battle, most of the workers agree to transfer jobs and allow Aer Lingus to sell off its lossmaking subsidiary to FLS. Workers are paid an estimated average of £34,000 from Aer Lingus.

2001.Following the terrorist attacks of September 11th, a voluntary severance/ early retirement scheme for staff is introduced, the main aim of which is to achieve a reduction of more than 30 per cent of the 6,300-strong workforce.

The proposal includes extensive changes to work practices.

The terms offered - four weeks' pay for each year of service up to a maximum of two years, and early retirement from 55 - are significantly less than offered by the Cahill Plan.

2004.A further restructuring plan is announced, with the aim of laying off 1,325 workers, offering them a minimum of €40,000 to take voluntary redundancy.

The talks are overseen by the Labour Relations Commission. In mid-October the Labour Court recommends two substantial changes to the Aer Lingus staff redundancy offer.

2007.Following the flotation of the airline in 2006, the so-called Programme for Continuous Improvement (PCI-07) is introduced.

The restructuring plan seeks to reduce holiday leave and time-in-lieu for working bank holidays, cut allowances and shift premium payments.

PCI-07 aims to deliver €20 million in cost savings by the end of 2007.

Two years later, the restructuring plan has yet to be fully implemented.