Aer Lingus: Pilots start industrial action over wage dispute

Aer Lingus pilots have taken industrial action amid an ongoing dispute with the airline over pay.

Members of the Irish Air Line Pilot’s Association (IALPA) began an indefinite, rule-based shift at midnight on Wednesday.

An eight-hour strike is planned for Saturday.

The airline expressed disappointment that the Labour Court did not intervene in the dispute and said it would instead review the matter again in July.

“Aer Lingus will continue to focus on minimising the disruption to its customers caused by IALPA’s industrial action,” it said in a statement to Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

The airline said it had “made it clear that it remains available for discussions, both directly and through government industrial relations structures.”

Aer Lingus said the total number of flights cancelled as a result of the industrial action had now risen to 270.

She called on IALPA to “consider the damage its continued industrial action is causing to passengers, the company and the Irish economy”.

Speaking to BBC News NI, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said work was now underway because Aer Lingus management “did not accept the reasonableness of our demand for cumulative inflation wages”.

IALPA is demanding a 24% salary increase.

Captain Tighe said an “acceptable offer” would mean an end to the industrial action.

He added: “The company flatly refuses to admit that it is wise and sensible to adjust its employees’ salaries to inflation.

“It’s not about a pay rise, it’s about securing our income,” he added.

“The desire of employees to secure their salary is not unreasonable.”

He said the guarantee service included “some additional industrial elements.”

“Basically, it’s pilots who have always been very flexible and made sure the planes came home when there were delays and who came on their days off – some pilots did that, most don’t because of work-life balance – but with the loss of that flexibility, it’s over.”

Captain Tighe said people should be aware that there are only a small number of pilots who sacrifice their days off to work.

“If the company now says it has to cancel up to 20 percent of its flights because of this, it means it has such a severe shortage of pilots that it has a problem it is unwilling to address,” he said.

On Tuesday, senior politicians in the Republic of Ireland called for a solution to be found.

Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Simon Harris had called on Aer Lingus and IALPA to “engage intensively” in the employment tribunal to avoid “utter chaos” for passengers.

He urged both sides to “dig deep into the issue” and called for “compromise, commitment and sitting down at the table”.

Meanwhile, Irish Deputy Prime Minister (Tánaiste) Micheál Martin said it was “urgent” to find a solution.

The public, he added, is being ignored by both sides of the dispute.

“It is shocking that they are being ignored and, if you will, deliberately sidelined in this battle between Aer Lingus management and the unions,” said Martin.

The airline said passengers booked flights between June 26 and July 2 have several options available.

Everyone should be contacted by email or SMS or through their travel agent.

Customers who have booked directly with Aer Lingus have the option to rebook flights online.

The company announced that if the flight is rebooked at a later date, it will waive the fare difference and any rebooking fees.

You also have the option to request a full refund or a refund voucher that can be redeemed within five years.

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

“Unfortunately, Aer Lingus cannot help directly in these cases,” Aer Lingus explains on its website.