In an attempt to resolve the ongoing wage dispute with pilots, Aer Lingus will present the case before the Labour Court on Tuesday morning. Both parties were unexpectedly invited by the Court for individual meetings on Monday. While Aer Lingus is slated for this morning, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association trade union will appear later in the day.
The crux of the argument lies in the pilots’ ongoing demand for a 23.88% wage increment, a figure they claim is to offset the increased living costs since their last pay rise in 2019. Aer Lingus, however, firmly believes that their salaries have already seen an average growth of 23% since that period, and strongly opposes their demands, branding them as “excessive” and “unsustainable”.
Owing to the escalating dispute, Ialpa warned Aer Lingus last week of adopting a stringent work-to-rule action beginning Wednesday. In response, the airline preemptively cancelled 124 flights to minimise disruption to its services. A strike has been called by the union which is scheduled from 5am to 1pm on June 29th, causing the airline to further cancel services that now totals to 220.