As travellers’ plans continued to be greatly disrupted, with between 60,000 to 70,000 people affected by the ongoing wage dispute, both parties involved in the Aer Lingus pay disagreement are set to return to the Labour court on Monday. This marks a significant moment in the dispute, which has prompted considerable industrial action. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), which is part of the Fórsa trade union, has instigated a ‘work-to-rule’ at the airline, and, after eight hours of work stoppage on Saturday, they are considering the possibility of escalating strikes due to failure in achieving a resolution through negotiations.
Both the airline and the Ialpa issued statements highlighting their hope that the meeting on Monday would result in a successful resolution, being the court’s third attempt at mediating an agreement. However, Ialpa President Capt Mark Tighe threatened intensified industrial action should Monday’s talks prove unsuccessful, putting forth the potential of a long-term disruption at Aer Lingus.
The strike initiated on Saturday resulted in an impact on approximately 17,000 passengers as Aer Lingus preemptively cancelled their flights in anticipation of the strike. The carrier has cancelled an additional 392 flights up until the coming Sunday in an attempt to maintain as many services as possible amidst the pilots’ industrial action.
Pilots are demanding pay increases of over 20 per cent to account for inflation in the past four years, a move claimed by Ialpa that carries a cost of around €5 million to Aer Lingus. The airline counteracts this, stating that such an increase would actually cost around €40 million per annum. They insist that any pay rise should be held at no more than the 12.25 percent, already agreed with cabin and ground crews, and linked to enhanced productivity.
This was evident in an offer rejected by Ialpa earlier in January, where an offer of 12.25 percent was reduced to 8.5 percent to accommodate for the cost of flexible summer leave. Previous discussions at both the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court were unsuccessful in securing any agreement.
Captain Tighe insists that for progress to be made, it is essential that both Aer Lingus and the Labour Court acknowledge the union’s pay demand as reasonable.