Aer Lingus was weighing more cancellations as talks on the pilots’ pay dispute that has upended more than 60,000 people’s travel plans got under way in the Labour Court on Monday
Management and representatives of the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (Ialpa) met at the court in the latest bid to resolve the dispute. Talks between the sides continued into Monday night.
Ahead of the meeting, Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus chief corporate affairs officer, confirmed that the carrier was assessing the need to cancel further flights after Sunday, July 7th, as it continues to grapple with pilots’ industrial action.
He added that the company would decide on this later in the week.
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Aer Lingus has already cancelled 392 flights, affecting between 60,000 and 70,000 passengers, through to Sunday July 7th, to preserve as many services as possible while pilots continue a work to rule that began last week.
Captain Mark Tighe, Ialpa president, warned that if the Labour Court talks failed, the union would have no option but to step up industrial action.
Members of Ialpa, part of trade union Fórsa, halted work for eight hours on Saturday and are continuing a work to rule at the carrier.
The Labour Court invited both sides to Monday’s meeting as Ialpa weighed further strikes following the failure of talks to resolve the row last week.
As the meeting began, both sides said they hoped what will be the court’s third attempt at brokering a resolution would succeed.
Saturday’s strike hit an estimated 17,000 passengers, whose flights Aer Lingus cancelled ahead of the stoppage.
Pilots are seeking pay rises of 20 per cent-plus to compensate for inflation over the past four years, saying this is just €5 million a-year more than what the company has offered.
Aer Lingus says it cannot give pilots increases greater than the 12.25 per cent agreed with cabin and ground crews without more productivity.
Ialpa rejected an offer worth 12.25 per cent, discounted to 8.5 per cent to pay for flexible summer leave, in January.
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Subsequent talks at the Workplace Relations Commission and Labour Court failed to broker a deal.
Ialpa members halted work between 5am and 1pm on Saturday, when around 500 of them marched and picketed at Dublin Airport.
Capt Tighe warned afterwards that Aer Lingus and the Labour Court had to recognise that the union’s pay claim was reasonable.
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