Aer Lingus workers to campaign against cuts

Aer Lingus workers will today launch a campaign against the management’s proposal to shed 2,500 jobs.

Aer Lingus survival plan anticipates 2,500 job cuts

Workers at the company have described the proposed cuts as "disastrous".

In a statement released today, they said: "The sacking of 40 per cent of the workforce would represent the destruction of entire sections of the company and the outsourcing of several services.

"There is no way that the massive rationalisations in world aviation with hundreds of thousands of job losses can be laid at the door of the atrocity of September 11th".

They said Aer Lingus workers would not accept these cuts.

Unions at the company have accused management of merely carrying out an accountancy exercise in proposing these cuts. They say management is failing to examine the company in detail.

But Aer Lingus director of corporate affairs Mr Dan Loughrey said the management’s plan was to create a viable business that would create value, generate profits, sustain the maximum number of jobs and keep the airline going forward.

Mr Loughrey said the plan was about saving 4,000 jobs and not simply about cutting jobs. He said the proposed jobs cuts would come from across the board, including pilots, cabin crew and catering staff.