Industrial action by Aer Lingus pilots to continue after employment tribunal meetings

Industrial action by Aer Lingus pilots is set to continue after their representatives and the airline outlined their respective positions at meetings at the Irish Employment Tribunal.

A resolution to the bitter pay dispute does not appear imminent after the court told both sides it would not intervene at this time.

Tens of thousands of passenger flights have been canceled due to an indefinite strike action scheduled to begin Wednesday and an eight-hour strike announced for Saturday.

The cancellation of 50 other flights on July 1 and 2 was announced on Tuesday. They are in addition to the more than 200 cancellations already announced by the airline.

The airline and the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA), an arm of the Forsa union, have had a heated exchange of words in recent days, with each accusing the other of failing to engage.

The pilots are demanding a 24% pay increase, which they say is equivalent to inflation since the last pay increase in 2019.

Aer Lingus said it was prepared to offer pay increases of 12.5% ​​or more if “improvements to productivity and flexibility” were discussed.

Both sides agreed to attend separate meetings at Dublin’s employment court on Tuesday to provide information on the industrial standoff.

After its meeting, Aer Lingus said it was “disappointed” that the employment tribunal found it could not currently help bridge the gap between the parties.

“Aer Lingus has made clear that it remains available for discussions both directly and through State Industrial Relations,” the airline’s statement added.

“Aer Lingus will continue to endeavor to minimize the disruption caused to customers by IALPA’s industrial action.

“Aer Lingus calls on Forsa/IALPA to consider the damage its continued industrial action is inflicting on passengers, the airline and the Irish economy. »

Leaving the court, IALPA President Mark Tighe made it clear that the action would continue.

“Actions are continuing as they are notified and will continue until there is a resolution,” he said.

Irish Prime Minister Simon Harris called on both sides to “dig deep” to try to reach a solution.

The Taoiseach said it was “absolutely vital” that both sides enter into talks to find a solution.

“My challenge to the parties now is to move that commitment forward, rather than subjecting people to a prolonged period of agony and chaos and then committing to the end anyway,” Harris said on Tuesday. .

“This dispute will be resolved in the same way as any dispute: compromise, commitment, sitting around a table. This is what needs to happen.

He said there would be “very little sympathy” for anyone involved in cancelling family holidays and disrupting the tourism sector if they did not engage “intensively”.

Irish Deputy Prime Minister Michael Martin said the proposed industrial action had caused “anxiety and stress” to thousands and thousands of people.

“I think there is an urgent need to resolve this issue and provide some peace of mind to people who are planning all year round to go on vacation,” he said.

The more than 200 cancellations announced before Tuesday affected 35,000 passengers.

Aer Lingus said the 50 additional flight cancellations planned for next Monday and Tuesday were necessary to “protect as many services as possible” from the planned industrial action.

The airline said passengers scheduled to travel between Wednesday June 26 and next Tuesday July 2 will still have the option to change their flight for free or cancel their flight and request a refund or voucher.

“Aer Lingus fully understands the anxiety felt by its customers over the uncertainty caused by the IALPA industrial action and is providing its customers with as many options as possible if they wish to change their plans,” the statement added. .