Aer Lingus, the Irish airline, is inching closer to resolving a wage dispute with its pilots, as the company expressed readiness late last week to accept a temporary settlement put forward by the Labour Court. The deal could help ensure smooth operations during the high-traffic summer season. The disagreement arose when the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) called for a pay increase exceeding 20% to account for inflation and other factors; in contrast, Aer Lingus had initially proposed a mere 8.5% increase. The temporary resolution put forward by the Labour Court accounts for slightly higher pay hikes of 9.25%, acknowledging that there are critical disagreements yet to be resolved between Aer Lingus and the trade union. The recommendation agreed to by Aer Lingus enables unresolved issues to be further deliberated within the setting of the State’s Workplace Relations Commission (WRC). The airline confirmed its acceptance of the proposed solution and its intentions to embark on the interim measures listed therein.
