UP IN THE AIR
Fresh hopes for holidaymakers of Aer Lingus strike breakthrough as Labour Court to formally intervene in pilots’ dispute
Passengers have been told to brace for further cancellations after this weekend
THE Labour Court has confirmed that it will officially intervene in the ongoing dispute between Aer Lingus and its pilots.
It comes after both sides yesterday attended eight-hour showdown talks at the Labour Court in a bid to ground the bitter pay dispute.
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There are fresh hopes of a breakthrough after the Labour Court informed both parties that it will exercise its right to intervene in the dispute under the Industrial Relations Act.
There will be a formal hearing tomorrow and the court has asked that there be no escalation in the pilots' industrial action.
The court has requested final written submissions to be made by the parties by close of business today and a recommendation from the Labour Court will be issued following the hearing tomorrow.
Pilots have been waging an indefinite work-to rule industrial action since last Wednesday - before upping the ante with a full eight-hour work stoppage on Saturday.
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The industrial action by pilots has already led to the cancellation of 392 flights - causing misery for tens of thousands of frustrated travellers.
The work-to-rule action currently remains in place, with flights cancelled everyday until July 7th this month.
Speaking to RTE after both parties left the court shortly after 11pm last night, IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe said Aer Lingus had refused to budge from its original position.
He also claimed that the airline management brought forward new demands that the court had not seen before.
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He said: "I am left, as before, with the hope that the court will be able to write a recommendation that will acknowledge the reasonableness of the pilots' claim."
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Aer Lingus Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Donal Moriarty described the engagement with the court as constructive and said the airline had been open to achieving a solution.
Yesterday, Moriarty hit out at the pilots’ industrial action, fuming that it has caused “significant financial and reputational damage”.
Moriarty, who told passengers to brace for further cancellations after this weekend, said: “This dispute is causing significant financial and reputational damage to Aer Lingus and it’s impacting negatively on everyone connected with the company, including our passengers.”
Pilots are seeking a pay rise of up to 24 per cent to take account of increases in the cost of living since their last wage hike in 2019.
FULL LIST OF CANCELLED FLIGHTS
But Aer Lingus is refusing to boost their pay by this amount without new productivity and flexibility concessions being agreed.
The airline has highlighted how other groups of workers at the company are only receiving a pay increase of 12.25 per cent.
With a war of words raging, Taoiseach Simon Harris pleaded with both sides to find a resolution with the summer holiday season now in full swing.
Harris admitted he is concerned about “bad blood” between the parties - but urged them to think of frantic families hoping to go on holiday.
The Fine Gael leader said: “There’s people who’ve been saving all year, putting a few bob aside to bring the kids on a summer holiday.
“Most Irish people are decent and full of common sense.
“They want to see this resolved and they believe people should, instead of bringing the planes out of the sky and not allowing people to go on their summer holidays, they should lock themselves in a room and not leave the room until they sort this out.
“Both sides need to dig deeper, there is absolutely zero public support for this action. That’s not, by the way, me letting the employer off the hook.”
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