Over this past weekend, an Aer Lingus flight scheduled to depart Toronto for Dublin was annulled following a decision by a physician to deem one of the pilots medically unfit. This decision to cancel the flight came about after consultation with the doctor, which is standard protocol, should a pilot find themselves feeling unwell. The impairment of the first officer, as cited by the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), has no known association to either the upcoming strike action nor the work-to-rule protests planned by the union in their pursuit of an approximate 24% salary increment to counteract inflation.
Aer Lingus recently lambasted the pilots’ union over legal threats and escalating tensions regarding the handling of sick leave procedures that have intensified their existing discordance, following the airline’s avowal that it had cancelled its Toronto to Dublin flight due to “operational issues”. Despite this, Aer Lingus were able to arrange alternate travel for most of the initial flight’s passengers by Saturday morning, although numbers involved were not disclosed.
In another update, the company allegedly reprimanded the pilot in question shortly before the flight cancellation for a breach of company policy involving social media posts. Stating that the first officer had been medically disqualified after reading the company letter to the physician and then advised for the pilot to stand down.
Over the course of the weekend, Ialpa publicly denounced Aer Lingus’s “hostile” conduct towards its pilots, asserting that legal action threats have been directed at both union officials and members for various reasons. In a letter to pilots, Adrian Dunne, Chief Operations Officer at Aer Lingus, informed them that they could potentially be held financially accountable for any losses Aer Lingus incurs if they fail to stick to their predetermined work rosters before launching strike action on Wednesday.
Furthermore, the potential personal liability for losses caused by such actions was highlighted. The airline, as stated by Mr. Dunne, would mandate medical certifications from the first day of any sick leave taken by pilots. The possibility of staff travel privileges being revoked if they adhere to their contractual obligations from June 26 was also put forth.
Accusations of ‘blackmail’ and ‘greed’ intensify the dispute at Aer Lingus. The company, as per the Ialpa response, couldn’t amend the sick leave policy without the consensus of the trade union.
“Any or all proposed changes to the sick leave policy and the prerequisite for medical certificates from the first sick day are contested,” Captain Daniel Langan, Vice-president, finance at Ialpa, conveyed in written form. Drawn attention to the fact that the union was open to conversation on the subject, he stated that Ialpa would take any steps to safeguard the interests of its members who might be impacted by this development.
Captain Langan termed the decision concerning travel privileges as anticipatable albeit dejecting. He emphasized, “It’s well known that a significant number of Aer Lingus pilots, notably first officers, commute from overseas using the airline’s staff travel considering the high Dublin living expenses.” He examined that the pilots’ issue was further aggravated by the absence of a pay raise since 2019.
Ialpa signified that the union was still inclined to negotiate a resolution for the ongoing dispute.