pilots consider further work stoppages

A trade union committee is expected to meet Friday to decide whether to give the green light to a further work stoppage by Aer Lingus pilots in Ireland.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ is reporting that the recommendation for an additional strike was made by the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) on Thursday after talks between it and Aer Lingus to resolve the ongoing pay dispute broke down without a resolution.

The airline issued an invitation for talks to IALPA on Wednesday after pilots began an indefinite work-to-rule, meaning they are not working overtime or carrying out any other out-of-hours duties.

An eight-hour strike from 05:00 -13:00 local time is planned for Saturday.

IALPA is calling for a 24% pay rise for members.

IALPA has recommended to trade union Fórsa that the additional strike should be longer than the action planned for Saturday, RTÉ has reported.

If sanctioned, Fórsa will have to give seven days’ notice to Aer Lingus before pilots can stop work.

Aer Lingus has described the potential of further strike action as entirely inappropriate, RTÉ reported, as the Labour Court requested earlier this week that the dispute should not be escalated.

On Thursday, the two sides met for face to face discussions.

However, they failed to reach an agreement.

IALPA President Capt Mark Tighe confirmed that talks had “broken down”.

Capt Tighe said during Thursday’s meeting the union had moved from its inflationary figure of almost 24%.

However, he added:

“The company has not moved from its statement that anything more than 12.25% would have to be funded by pilots’ own payments through work practice.”

The total number of flights cancelled as a result of the current industrial action, Aer Lingus said, is 270.

All Aer Lingus UK regional flights, operated by Emerald Airlines, and Aer Lingus UK transatlantic flights to and from Manchester will operate as scheduled.

In a statement the airline said: “Aer Lingus will continue to focus on minimising the disruption caused to customers by IALPA’s industrial action.”

The airline said it “made it clear that it remains available for discussions both directly and through the state’s industrial relations framework”.

Aer Lingus called on IALPA to “consider the damage that its continued industrial action is inflicting upon passengers, the company and the Irish economy”.

A full list of cancelled flights up to and including 2 July can be found on the airline’s website.

It said: “The nature of this industrial action may lead to further cancellations and delays and we will communicate directly with impacted customers as soon as possible.”

Co-pilots can start out at about €36,000 (£30,400), with packages increasing based on actual flying hours.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ has reported a captain at the top of the scale can be paid about €287,000 (£242,000).

Capt Mark Tighe explained on Thursday that this can take up to 26 years.

There are differences for pilots depending on whether flights are short or long-haul.

The airline has said passengers with flights booked between 26 June and 2 July have a number of options available.

Each should be contacted via email or SMS, or through their travel agent.

For customers who have booked directly with Aer Lingus, there is the option to change flights online.

The company said it will waive the fare difference and any change fee if rebooking for a later date.

There is also the option to request a full refund or a refund voucher, which can be redeemed within five years.

Aer Lingus said passengers who booked through a travel agent or third party must contact those companies directly.

“Unfortunately, Aer Lingus is unable to assist directly in these cases,” Aer Lingus outlines on its website.