Hundreds of pilots march during eight-hour strike at Dublin Airport – The Irish Times

Around 500 Aer Lingus pilots marched in the rain around Dublin Airport on Saturday as their union leader urged the company to recognise their pay demands as reasonable ahead of their industrial dispute being heard at the Employment Tribunal.

Shortly after starting an eight-hour strike at 5am, most members of the Irish Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) gathered outside Aer Lingus headquarters in full uniform to march around both terminals of Dublin Airport and form a picket line.

The union estimated that 500 pilots came from across the country, out of a pilot crew of 766. Those who were not present were out of state or were unable to attend for a variety of reasons, including regulations requiring pilots to rest between flights.

Ialpa chairman Captain Mark Tighe said during the picket that the number of workers “on a mild Irish summer morning like this” spoke volumes about the pilots’ confidence in their wage demand.

( Aer Lingus pilots are not revolutionary leaders, but wages must rise for social peace )

Ialpa is seeking a raise of more than 20 percent, but Captain Tighe pointed out that the union had significantly softened its stance over the course of 22 months of talks with Aer Lingus, including the negotiations that failed on Thursday.

The pilots say their request will cost the company less than an extra five million euros per year. However, Aer Lingus believes the figure is closer to 40 million euros.

On Monday, the union and the company will have to go to the labour court to try again to settle the dispute. As a result of the dispute, the airline had to cancel almost 400 flights, including 120 due to Saturday’s strike, which was supposed to take place between 5 a.m. and 1 p.m.

“We now expect the company and the labor court to recognize the appropriateness of our claim,” said Captain Tighe.

He added that the union hopes the dispute can be resolved by filing a court case next week.

The Labour Court summoned both sides on Friday as the dispute reached a critical stage and Ialpa was preparing to expand its industrial action following the failure of talks on Thursday.

Since Wednesday, union members have been subject to a strict work-to-rule regime, which severely limits flexibility and prevents Aer Lingus from implementing its full furlough programme.

Due to this measure and the disruption on Saturday, the airline was forced to cancel 392 flights until Sunday, July 7, affecting an estimated 70,000 passengers.

On Monday, the dispute will be heard before the employment tribunal for the third time. Most recently, Aer Lingus and Ialpa had separate court hearings on Tuesday, but this intervention was also unable to settle the dispute.