On Thursday, Aer Lingus and its pilots have scheduled a meeting in an attempt to work out ongoing pay disputes. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) has confirmed its attendance after receiving an invitation from the airline’s management. The announcement comes just hours after the union started a work-to-rule protocol on Wednesday with a motivation of achieving a pay increase of 23.88 per cent.
About 5,000 potential passengers have been affected by the cancellation of flights by Aer Lingus, a precautionary measure to minimise disruption. Wednesday morning had a peaceful start at Dublin Airport, with no cancelled flights and very few delays following the first departure wave.
Despite this, Aer Lingus has cancelled 270 flights for the coming week in order to further mitigate potential disruption due to the work to rule enforced by Ialpa members. These pilots have also threatened an eight hour strike for Saturday.
In light of these actions, many who had organized travel in the upcoming week are unsure if they will able to proceed, as neither side of the fray seem set to budge. However, 80 per cent of Aer Lingus flights are still taking off, with passengers travelling on Wednesday morning reporting no encountering any issues. A noteworthy exception is a Boston-Dublin flight that was delayed for four hours on Tuesday due to technical issues.
The Labour Court informed both Ialpa and Aer Lingus that it would not get involved in settling the dispute at this stage, planning to review the situation the next week. The president of Ialpa, Capt Mark Tighe, has affirmed that industrial action will continue until the union’s concerns are heard. The work-to-rule means pilots will adhere strictly to their working hours and will not accommodate any changes to their rosters, compromising the flexibility that Aer Lingus relies on for its hectic summer schedule. The fear is that even miniscule delays due to air traffic control issues or adverse weather etc. could rapidly escalate to chaos at Dublin Airport.
Aer Lingus made the announcement of additional 50 flight cancellations on the coming Monday and Tuesday, mainly affecting short-haul business routes to destinations such as London, Manchester, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, and Brussels, as a consequence of the ongoing industrial unrest. The carrier reaffirmed its commitment to providing options to those passengers who may potentially be affected by the industrial dispute.
The union’s demand is a pay rise of approximately 24 per cent, linked to an argument that it mirrors the salary increases received by pilots from other airlines and is a reasonable expectation in the current cost of living scenario.
Aer Lingus is being signalled as to have transitioned from bargaining process to a period categorised by Capt Tighe as “union busting”. The Captain, during a session with RTÉ radio’s Morning Ireland, stated that the pilots had no desire to be in this present deadlock, however Aer Lingus’ “heightened level of corporate greed” had brought about this situation.
Contrary to claims of underperformance, Aer Lingus with an operating margin of 9.9%, is on par with British Airways and other European counterparts. As a financially sound enterprise, Aer Lingus reported profits around €225 million in the previous year, predicting a steady increase in future earnings. The accusation of corporate greed is hence being thrusted at the carrier.
Aer Lingus stressed its willingness to keep the conversation going, both directly or via formal industrial relations framework, urging Ialpa to evaluate the potential damage the agitation could inflict on passengers, the company and the Irish economy as a whole.
Michael McGrath, the Finance Minister, referred to the circumstances at Aer Lingus as being “extremely critical” and “detrimental to the Irish economy, tarnishing its image, disrupting tourism”, and affecting everyday lives. He encouraged intervention from entities like the Labour Court and other “industrial relations machinery” but expressed hope that the conflict didn’t prolong causing more damage.
Paschal Donohoe, the Minister for Public Expenditure, voiced his concerns about the weekend flight cancellations causing “massive damage to Ireland’s standing as a convenient destination” and “severe disturbances” to both tourism and business travel. He insinuated a potential timing connection between the industrial action and the start of summer breaks in primary schools which could impart significant trouble for travellers.
Clare Dunne, the CEO of the Irish Travel Agents Association, expressed her concern over the escalating conflict at Aer Lingus due to the pilots’ strike. She stated that there was a calmer atmosphere since the weekend, but the recent cancellations have significantly alarmed her members. Dunne and her team eagerly and anxiously await the outcome once the new work-to-rule policy is implemented, as they fear it may lead to a wave of last-minute cancellations at airport terminals. They anticipate the devastating situation where checked-in passengers are informed that they can’t proceed to board. This could become a stark reality if there are any disruptions in air traffic control or other unforeseen circumstances causing a delay, leading outbound pilots to refuse to fly as it would exceed their prescribed working hours due to the new policy. Hence, the ongoing mediation holds great significance in offering a solution, she emphasised.