Aer Lingus pilots begin voting on a 17.75 per cent pay rise offer on Thursday in a ballot that could end their dispute with the airline.
The vote comes as Aer Lingus services returned to normal on Wednesday following weeks when it cancelled flights to preserve as many services as possible in the face of a work-to-rule by its pilots.
The Labour Court last week recommended the offer to the deadlock that sparked two weeks of industrial action at the airline, ultimately forcing the cancellation of about 570 flights, hitting close to 86,000 passengers.
Members of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association, part of trade union Fórsa, will vote between Thursday afternoon and the morning of Tuesday, July 23rd, on the court’s proposal, recommended last week by the organisation’s executive.
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The union is likely to confirm the result later on July 23rd.
A majority of the 760-plus pilots working for Aer Lingus must favour the deal to finally end the dispute, which has its roots in a pay claim that the association lodged with the company in October 2022.
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Pending the ballot’s outcome the association last week suspended a work-to-rule at the carrier under which pilots refused overtime or roster changes, denying the carrier the flexibility it needed to ensure it could operate a full summer schedule.
The Labour Court made its recommendation following a hearing convened using powers under industrial relations law allowing it to intervene in a dispute without both parties agreeing to refer the issue to the body in the first place.
Aer Lingus continued to cancel flights into this week to counter any likelihood that the association’s work-to-rule would continue beyond last Wednesday.
Its normal schedule resumed on Wednesday without reports of any significant disruption to passengers. The airline flies about 44,000 people a day on 220 flights at this time of year, its busiest and most profitable.
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