THE AIB job losses will have a “devastating impact” on ordinary employees and their families, the Irish Bank Officials Association has said.

General secretary Larry Broderick said the scale of the losses meant “ordinary bank staff are being asked to suffer the consequences of the mismanagement of the bank’s affairs to a disproportionate extent”.

However, following meetings with the bank’s management, the union indicated there may be scope for securing early retirement packages which may incentivise more senior staff to retire.

The union represents just over 60 per cent of AIB’s workforce, and about 80 per cent of staff in First Trust, AIB’s Northern Irish subsidiary. Formal negotiations on the restructuring programme between unions and the bank’s senior management will commence next week.

The union said negotiations would focus on protecting as many jobs as possible, ensuring any job losses would be implemented on a voluntary basis and agreeing “fair voluntary severance terms”.

Siptu, which also represents staff at AIB, said the number of redundancies being sought by the bank was “unacceptably high”.