The process of voting on temporary proposals set forth by the Labour Court, intended to facilitate a settlement between Aer Lingus and their pilots over wage dispute, is anticipated to conclude by the end of this week. Last week, the court advised the Irish Airline Pilots Association (Ialpa) to agree to a series of pay raises totalling 9.25 per cent and recommended recommencing negotiations on contentious points at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).
Ialpa’s leadership, however, urged its members to decline the proposals in a vote commencing on Tuesday with results expected around the close of this week. The pilot’s union believes the Labour Court’s suggestions don’t address essential matters impacting its members, but conceded that the final decision on acceptance will rest with the membership. Aer Lingus confirmed acceptance of the recommendations last Friday and committed to implementing the outlined preliminary measures.
A paramount contention between the two parties is interpreting the financial implications of an enhanced summer leave agreement for pilots, established between Ialpa and Aer Lingus in 2019, as suggested by the Labour Court’s recommendation. Both parties concur on the existence of a resulting “debt” to be offset over time with salary raises. However, the two diverge on the depth of the financial impact of the flexible leave, with Aer Lingus translating it into a sought increase of 27 per cent by Ialpa, while the union pegs it at 23.88 per cent.
The union is pursuing wage increases in excess of 20 per cent to offset the significant climb in living expenses since 2019, among other reasons.