The dispute between Aer Lingus and Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), is expected to lead to further cancellations in the coming week, following failed negotiations on a Thursday afternoon. Ialpa, the representative body for the pilots, intends to discuss enhancing industrial action at an executive meeting later on the same day. In the meantime, Aer Lingus’ chief corporate officer, Donal Moriarty, has confirmed the airline’s plans to evaluate necessary cancellations from July 3rd, Wednesday, to mitigate the consequences of the continuing work-to-rule action initiated by pilots.
A meeting took place earlier in a Dublin Airport hotel, with both parties striving to reach a resolution in the ongoing dispute that has already resulted in 270 flight cancellations. The discussions soon shifted to what were described by both sides as “technical issues”. Company insiders emphasised that these issues took centre stage throughout the morning talks, while union representatives suggested very little headway had been made.
Ialpa’s president, Captain Mark Tighe, confirmed that smaller breakaway groups had been formed to tackle the technical details within the negotiations, the specifics of which were not disclosed. Tighe returned to the discussions after briefing Barclays’ representatives, a stakeholder in International Airlines Group (IAG), the parent company of Aer Lingus.
Upon arrival at the meeting, Moriarty stated his hopes of initiating substantial discussions that day, indicating that if an increase exceeding 12.25% were to be agreed upon, further discussions would be vital with Ialpa. In response, Tighe argued that the increase was being funded by the pilots, which he felt was unreasonable. The negotiation process, however, persisted.
Ialpa members, on their second day of unrestricted work-to-rule measures which have instigated flight cancellations, adopted this approach to maintain maximum services. Among Thursday’s disrupted flights was a journey from Cork to Heathrow, and 12 services from Dublin, including destinations such as Rome, Heathrow, Brussels, and New York.
Pilots are demanding an increase in pay of more than 20 per cent to offset inflation. On the other hand, Aer Lingus contends that without an agreement on additional productivity and adaptability, they cannot provide a rise exceeding 12.25 per cent.