In an escalating pay row, pilots from Aer Lingus, members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), have requested their employer to relieve their trade union negotiators from their regular flying duties. This move suggests a potential forthcoming meeting this week between the conflicting sides. The union’s members are setting the stage for a series of work to rule actions, starting Wednesday, alongside a strike scheduled for eight hours on Saturday morning. This action might lead to numerous flight cancellations as pilots demand a 23.88 per cent increase in their remuneration.
Ialpa has urged Aer Lingus to provide their negotiators some relief from their flight duties in order to enable possible discussions as they brace for the impending strike action scheduled this week. Confirmation from Aer Lingus that the pilots will be released is still pending.
This development has emerged after a weekend that saw tension between the parties grow, with the union accusing the company of exacerbating the situation by provoking its members and officials. Yet, both parties have publicly stated their willingness to engage in talks to settle the issue, a dispute which has been brewing since the start of the year.
Pilots believe their demands are justified, given the inflation and pay scales at comparable airlines, but Aer Lingus dismisses these as excessive. To mitigate the effects of the planned industrial action, Aer Lingus has aborted 124 flights over a period of five days from June 26th.
The impact of the industrial action on passengers will likely be significant; the airline has announced it will cancel 120 flights on the morning of June 29th due to the eight-hour strike planned between 5am and 1pm. Some transatlantic flights scheduled for the day will be rearranged.
Passengers booked between June 26th and July 2nd will be offered the option to cancel flights for a refund or amend them free of cost.