Siptu shop stewards in Aer Lingus will meet tomorrow to discuss the company's plan to implement 1,300 redundancies.
The union said the meeting has been called to decide how best to protect members' interests at the airline.
The shop stewards will discuss how to protect the maximum number of jobs, how to address what it perceives as deficiencies in the proposed redundancy scheme and will seek to quantify a pay claim on behalf of a number of members who intend staying with the airline.
Siptu members have already given the union a mandate for industrial action if necessary.
Aer Lingus branch secretary Mr Christy McQuillan said the union does not accept there is a need to sacrifice large numbers of jobs.
"We must look after the interests of all the workers who have made the company so successful and who are now being asked to make a further contribution in order to make Aer Lingus even more profitable," he said.
Mr McQuillan said shop stewards are expected to seek "a sizeable wage claim" so they too can share in the benefits of future growth in Aer Lingus based on their increased productivity and cost effectiveness.
On the redundancy plan, he said that although the package looks attractive on the surface there are a number of "serious defects" that need to be addressed.
"The fact is that years of service are calculated on basic pay only; when most employees would rely on shift premia for about 20 per cent of income," he said.
Mr McQuillan also said that the maximum payment allowed in the redundancy package affects harshly employees with 15 years service and more, which would mean that around 40 per cent of the employees will not receive the full benefits if they opt to leave.
There were also problems with the pension provisions, he said.
"The meeting will also address the outsourcing features of the three year plan, which are the most detrimental to job losses. Increasing the political lobbying necessary to protect the state airline will be another priority."
The meeting is scheduled for 2.30 p.m. tomorrow at the ALSAA centre near Dublin airport.