Aer Lingus is no longer planning to cancel additional flights next week following the conclusion of the pilots’ industrial strike late on Wednesday; they have decided to vote on the proposed increase in pay of 17.75 per cent. Nevertheless, the inability to reverse their previous decision means that the 25 flights, which were previously scheduled to be cancelled on Monday, July 15th and Tuesday, July 16th, will continue to be so.
Upon a recommendation from the Labour Court regarding a pay rise, officials from the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) paused their work actions on Wednesday evening. These actions included refusing to work overtime and out-of-hours, as well as resisting roster changes. From Wednesday June 26th, when the action commenced, up until the following Tuesday, these measures resulted in Aer Lingus’ cancellation of 573 flights.
Despite the conclusion of the pilots’ dispute, some Aer Lingus flights are still set to be cancelled. Captain Mark Tighe, head of Aer Lingus’ pilots’ union, confirmed that no changes to working conditions had been agreed upon as part of the package deal, which is now being recommended to union members. “We’ve not sacrificed any working conditions as part of this package,” Capt Tighe reported to RTÉ radio on Thursday.
Defending the maintenance of customer experience, Capt Tighe explained that while it was never the intention of Ialpa to cause inconvenience to passengers, the blame lies with the airline’s management who could have resolved the issue sooner.
The head of Ialpa mentioned that it is now up to the members to decide whether or not to accept the recommendations. However, he added a word of caution and highlighted that cost-of-living considerations must be taken into account.
The dilemma of increasing inflation and stagnant wages, despite escalating company profits, is a pressing topic that calls for further conversation across the nation.
In relation to this, Ialpa, which is a component of the Fórsa trade union, has extended its support to the Labour Court proposal after two rounds of meetings and receiving clarification on salient matters from both the Court and Aer Lingus. It is now the union’s plan to organise a members’ ballot, beginning from July 18th Thursday and closing on July 23rd Tuesday. Industrial action at Aer Lingus has been paused, pending the results of the vote.
Clare Dunne, from the Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA), expressed her delight at the move, hailing it as a significant day for the travel sector. Notably, at this busiest and most lucrative time of year, Aer Lingus daily transports around 44,000 people via 220 services.