Aer Lingus cabin crew have rejected the offer of a 4 per cent pay increase from the airline in a vote completed on Tuesday.
About 2,000 cabin crew at the carrier have been voting on an offer of a 3 per cent or €960-a-year increase, whichever is greater, from January 1st next year, followed by 1 per cent or €320, whichever is greater, from July 1st.
Almost 98 per cent voted against the deal, their trade union, Fórsa, confirmed.
The result was expected as Fórsa‘s Aer Lingus cabin crew branch committee recently recommended that members reject the offer.
RM Block
The cabin crew’s vote follows last week’s rejection by most ground staff of a similar offer in a ballot run by their trade union, Siptu.
Sources say both outcomes are likely to lead to further talks between Aer Lingus and unions representing the airline’s ground and cabin crews.
The company noted the cabin crew vote in a statement. “In October 2025, staff across operations in Aer Lingus will receive a 1.5 per cent pay increase,” it said.
“This is the final payment in the existing agreement covering January 2023 to December 2025, comprising a total increase of 13.75 per cent over that period.”
The 4 per cent offer would have brought total increases over four years to 17.75 per cent, Aer Lingus added.
Fórsa officials said the offer to cabin crew did not go far enough in closing a gap that emerged with pilots’ pay after the pandemic, when they recommended that members reject the deal.
Cabin crews endured pay cuts of up to 70 per cent during the pandemic.
Fórsa maintains that many are still trying to recover financially from the consequences.
The union sought two €1,500 tax-free vouchers from the company for cabin crew to help redress the balance, but Aer Lingus told the union it was unable to pay this.
The company sought extra productivity from ground and cabin staff in return for the 4 per cent pay offer.
Siptu ran several different ballots across its 1,200 members in the airline as the company was seeking different concessions from different groups.
Most rejected their offers in votes completed last week, barring maintenance and engineering staff, and ramp loaders in Shannon Airport, who accepted their deals.
Siptu last week indicated that the union would seek further talks with Aer Lingus as a result of its members’ votes.
Cabin, ground and craft workers sought pay increases after the airline agreed to boost pilots’ pay by 17.75 per cent following industrial action last year.
The unions maintained that the pilots’ deal triggered a clause in their pay deals with the company allowing them to seek further increases.
Aer Lingus sought increased productivity in return. Talks have been taking place for several months.
