Aer Lingus staff call off strike

The airline had planned to outsource its ground operations

Strike action at Aer Lingus has been called off after the airline and unions came to a deal over cost-cutting plans.

Aer Lingus said a framework had been arrived at to deliver savings of 50m euro (£40m) without any outsourcing.

The airline had originally planned to make the savings by cutting or outsourcing up to 1,500 jobs.

The trade union Siptu voted last month to take strike action beginning next Monday. It will consult members about the latest proposals next week.

Aer Lingus warned that until the proposed savings were verified and confirmed by Siptu, the outsourcing plans would remain on the table.

A Siptu spokesman said: "There will be no industrial action or strike action commenced during the process.

"But if Siptu members reject the proposal, the union mandate remains live and can be activated if the company proceeds with outsourcing."

The airline had initially planned to outsource ground operations, shut bases in Shannon and Heathrow and use US crews on some long-haul routes.

The proposals did not affect staff at the company's Belfast hub.