Aer Lingus urges union to give 15 days' notice of any pilot strikes

Pilots at the airline have voted overwhelmingly in favour of strike action. The union has to give a minimum of one week’s notice before any industrial action is taken.

Talks between Aer Lingus management and the pilots’ union are continuing today as the two sides try to hammer out a pay deal. It’s understood that there remains a large gulf between the pilot demands and what the airline is willing to pay. The carrier is thought to be pushing for productivity improvements and increased flexibility from its almost 800 pilots in return for agreeing to a higher pay increase than it has already offered.

As the threat of strike action increases, Aer Lingus has urged Ialpa to give it more time to make arrangements for affected passengers.

“Aer Lingus wrote to Ialpa on 10 June informing them that industrial action at this time of year would cause very significant disruption and have a devastating impact on customers and their families going into the summer holiday season,” said a spokesperson for the airline.

“In that context, and if Ialpa is intent on pursuing strike action, Aer Lingus asked Ialpa that advance notice of at least 15 days be provided,” they added. “Such a level of notice, which has been a norm where industrial action has been taken internationally in other airlines, would provide Aer Lingus with more opportunity to try to make alternative arrangements for a greater number of customers. Aer Lingus is awaiting Ialpa’s response to this request.”

It’s understood that a letter from Aer Lingus chief operations officer Adrian Dunne to Ialpa president Mark Tighe requested that any industrial action is taken in a way that “avoids inflicting unnecessary distress and suffering on our customers”.

Mr Tighe said on Wednesday that the result of the ballot showed that Aer Lingus pilots are “determined to secure a fair and reasonable pay rise after years of inflation”.

He added: “The result of this ballot shows the resolve and determination of our members to get a fair share of the large profits that Aer Lingus are making. Last year they reported €225 million profit – an increase of 400pc on the previous year.”

Aer Lingus said any move to strike action would be “entirely regrettable” and stressed that talks are ongoing.

The airline has increased its profitability but incurred huge losses during the Covid pandemic.

With the busy summer season kicking off, Aer Lingus will be carrying about 40,000 passengers every day on its services. It’s likely about 95pc of passengers on any given strike day won’t get to travel. The impact would be felt by customers in Ireland, across Europe and in the United States and Canada.

Aer Lingus is understood to be lining up potential wet-lease aircraft for use during industrial action. Such jets are provided by a third party, with the crew provided.

Such capacity is difficult to obtain during the peak summer season. It’s thought Aer Lingus will use any such wet-lease jets to maintain some services on key routes such as Dublin to London Heathrow and Dublin to New York’s JFK.

Ialpa has been seeking a near 24pc pay rise for its members at Aer Lingus. The airline has offered a 12.25pc, which included 3.75pc to pay for a 2019 crewing agreement.

An independent pay tribunal last year recommended a 12.25pc increase in consolidated pay and a 1.5pc rise in unconsolidated pay for the pilots.

The Labour Court recommended an interim 9.25pc pay increase, with the cost of the crewing agreement to be settled by the end of the summer, it hoped. That proposal was accepted by Aer Lingus but overwhelmingly rejected by pilots.