Cabin crew at Aer Lingus who are members of the Impact trade union have voted in favour of industrial action. The ballot is up to and including strike action if the airline fails to agree a revised roster for short-haul services.

It is also calling on the carrier to implement acceptable 'time off' arrangements after long-haul flights. The vote was passed with 97% in favour.

The ballot also called for action in the event of "further breaches by management" of existing collective agreements and if the company fails to implement an outstanding Labour Court recommendation on supervisors contracts.

Impact official Michael Landers said that the result of the ballot indicated the depth of feeling about the issues.

"The current roster patterns are best described as erratic. We have sought consultation with management on the implementation of a more sustainable and predictable roster which is already in place for pilots and which many other airlines also have in place for cabin crew. But management simply haven't engaged with us, and today’s result demonstrates the frustration of cabin crew as a result" he said.

Mr Landers said that rosters are subject to changes at short notice and that many cabin crew "are struggling to maintain caring arrangements for when they are on duty, and cabin crew have reported incidences of extreme fatigue among crew, necessitating medical attention. It cannot continue like this" he added.

The union claims that cabin crew can currently work up to 60 hours in a seven day period, and want a roster similar to those for pilots at the airline - of five work days followed by three rest days.

Niall Shanahan from Impact explains what this all means.