Fórsa members at Aer Lingus have overwhelmingly rejected a Labour Court recommendation which proposed the buyout of access to a profit share scheme with a €300 voucher.

The proposal was rejected by cabin crew at the airline, with 96% voting against the proposal. Administrative, professional and middle management grades represented by Fórsa’s IEASA branch also rejected the proposal by an 80% majority.

Fórsa official Ashley Connolly said the proposals fell far short of what the union believed was fair. “Aer Lingus is a highly profitable airline and inflight sales play a huge role in that profitability. Cabin crew are delivering that profitability in addition to their other responsibilities on board each and every flight. The company effectively places no value on that role,” she said.

Fórsa official Johnny Fox added: “We sought to bring fairness and proper recognition to the significant contribution staff make to the success of the company, but the proposed voucher buyout fell far short of what we’d hoped,” she said.

Ashley said the Aer Lingus group of unions are due to meet shortly to discuss the outcome of the ballot, which was also rejected by SIPTU members at the airline.