Aer Lingus strike: Pilots stop work for eight hours

Hundreds of striking Aer Lingus pilots have demonstrated at Dublin Airport as part of an ongoing industrial dispute with the airline over pay.

The strike began at 05:00 local time and will last eight hours on Saturday.

The pilots in full uniform passed the airline’s headquarters and then formed a picket line at the airport entrance.

Aer Lingus cancelled 120 flights on Saturday, affecting up to 17,000 passengers.

The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) had previously called for a 24% pay rise for its members, and on Wednesday pilots began working to rule.

Ialpa President Captain Mark Tighe said the strike shows “that they mean business.”

“Our passengers are extremely important to us and, unlike managers, we encounter them every day.

“This is not what we want, but we are in a situation that management has created and we are simply exercising the same rights that everyone else in this country has,” he told Irish broadcaster RTÉ.

The airline said there were “a range of options” for affected passengers.

Due to the indefinite work-to-rule and pilot strike, Aer Lingus has now cancelled almost 400 flights.

The Employment Tribunal of the Republic of Ireland has invited both parties to a meeting on Monday to review the current situation.

Captain Tighe expressed hope that the court could help, but “management and Aer Lingus must come to the meeting and show that they are willing to listen and accept the reasonableness of a demand for inflation-adjusted pay.”

He added that the union’s mandate was clear and that pilots would not accept changes in working practices in exchange for higher wages.

The Aer Lingus website has a list of flights disrupted due to the strike.

The website states that if your flight is affected, you will be contacted directly by email or SMS.

If you booked through a travel agent, the travel agent will contact you and inform you of your options.

Aer Lingus’ website states that regional flights to and from Belfast and the UK operated by Emerald Airlines are not affected by any industrial action and will operate as planned.

Aer Lingus’ regional flight numbers are EI 3000 – EI 3999.

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

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

The company said that if you rebook at a later date, the fare difference and any service charges will be waived.

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

Aer Lingus advises that passengers who have booked through third-party providers must contact those companies directly.

Captain Mark Tighe had previously stated that the 24% increase was a “cumulative inflation rate since 2019, our last pay increase.”

In an interview with BBC News NI’s Good Morning Ulster on Friday, Captain Tighe said the union had announced it would accept a lower than inflation-linked pay rise in an effort to resolve the dispute.

“We don’t believe anyone should get less than the rate of inflation, but yesterday, in an effort to resolve this issue, we said we would accept less than the rate of inflation.”

However, he added: “We believe inflation is a very reasonable proposition at this point in time.”

Co-pilots can start on a starting salary of around €36,000 (£30,400), with packages increasing depending on actual flying hours.

Irish broadcaster RTÉ reported that a captain at the top end of the salary scale can earn around €287,000 (£242,000).

Captain Mark Tighe said on Thursday that this could take up to 26 years.

For pilots, there are differences depending on whether the flight is short or long-haul.

It is a long-running dispute over pay and there have been numerous announcements.

But here are some of the most important things that have happened so far this week:

• 25 June 2024 – Separate meetings between the Irish Labour Court and Aer Lingus and Ialpa.

• 26 June 2024 – Pilots begin their permanent duty to rule schedule. (Duty to rule means that no overtime or other duties may be performed outside of working hours.)

• 26 June 2024 – The airline invites Ialpa for talks on Wednesday, after the pilots have resumed their duties according to regulations.

• June 28, 2024 – Aer Lingus confirms the cancellation of a further 122 flights and says that due to the “indefinite nature” of the Ialpa pilots’ industrial action, further flights “must be cancelled” until July 7.

• June 29, 2024 – Pilots take part in eight-hour strike action.