A mounting verbal altercation between Aer Lingus and the pilots’ union, Ialpa, intensified over the previous weekend, with the airline labelling Ialpa’s tactics as “blackmail”, while the union shot back, accusing the company of “greed” and keeping the possibility of a full-scale strike on the table.
On Sunday, each party expressed its readiness for discussions, however, simultaneously blamed the other for obstructing any substantial progress from happening.
The crux of this contention is the pilot’s request for a salary increase of 24 per cent, in response to which the management has provisionally proposed a raise of slightly less than 10 per cent.
Beginning on Wednesday, the pilots are initiating a work-to-rule, which has led the airline to call off over 200 flights from Wednesday to Sunday. The situation is expected to worsen on Saturday when the pilots are planning on escalating their industrial protest to an eight-hour full-scale strike. This action has already compelled Aer Lingus to cancel 120 further flights.
It’s inevitable that all disputes eventually draw to a close, but considering the sizable discrepancies between the pilots’ aspirations and the company’s proposition, it’s tough to envision who will concede first. One unfortunate certainty is that it’s the passengers who will bear the brunt of the hardship.
Consumer representative, Conor Pope, analyses the conflict’s origins and probable future destinations. The report is presented by Bernice Harrison and produced by John Casey.