Aer Lingus and pilots in fresh Labour Court bid to end dispute

Both sides in the Aer Lingus pilots’ pay row will return to the Labour Court on Wednesday as the latest bid to end the dispute continues.

The pair emerged from more than nine hours of talks on Monday to confirm that the court would use powers under industrial relations law to intervene in the dispute that threatens more flight cancellations next week.

Capt Mark Tighe, president of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), part of trade union Fórsa, said its work to rule at Aer Lingus would continue in the meantime.

He added that once the court makes a recommendation on the dispute, the union hoped it would recognise the “reasonableness” of the pilots’ claim to boost pay in line with inflation.

The union told members that the Labour Court had sought submission from both sides by the close of business on Tuesday ahead of a one-day hearing on Wednesday. The court will then recommend a solution to the dispute.

On Monday night Capt Tighe said that Aer Lingus had introduced new demands that the court had not previously heard.

Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus chief corporate affairs officer, said the company outlined its position to the court, which determined that a formal intervention was needed.

Meanwhile, Aer Lingus confirmed it had hired aircraft and crew from other operators, a practice known as “wet leasing”, to fly some services while pilots continued industrial action that has forced the airline to cancel almost 400 flights.

The company hired one Boeing 777 to fly from Dublin to Chicago, while it brought in two Airbus A320s to serve European destinations including Greek islands and Malaga, popular with Irish sunseekers, along with the Czech capital Prague.

[ Aer Lingus dispute: Will my flight take off this week? ]

Aer Lingus did not say from which organisations it is leasing aircraft and crews. Emails from the airline to passengers show that Spanish-based Privilege Style Airlines is flying Dublin-Chicago while Danish Air Transport (DAT) provides the European services.

The Irish airline leased the aircraft and crews late last month and the contract runs up to Sunday, July 14th, it confirmed yesterday.

According to one email seen by The Irish Times, Aer Lingus told passengers on a Dublin-Chicago flight next Saturday, July 6th, that their booking remained the same, but different configurations within the aircraft would require seat changes.

It added that the flight had no business class or on-board wifi. Also, the in-flight entertainment requires passengers to stream films and TV shows through their own devices from a wireless network.

Aer Lingus said two weeks ago that it could lease aircraft and take other steps to ease the impact of pilots’ industrial action.

Taoiseach Simon Harris has said he welcomes the decision by the Labour Court to intervene in the Aer Lingus dispute.

Speaking on his way into Cabinet, Mr Harris said it was really important that both sides now “dig deep” as he outlined the consequences for both passengers going abroad and people coming here at this time.

Mr Harris said the only way this dispute can be resolved is by sitting down and finding a resolution.

“I don’t think there has ever been an industrial relations dispute that is resolved without two things – engagement and compromise. That is the key ingredient.”

So far, the pilots’ work to rule and an eight-hour strike on Saturday prompted the company to cancel 392 flights up to Sunday, July 7th, upending more than 60,000 passengers’ travel plans.

Ahead of Monday’s Labour Court meeting, Donal Moriarty, Aer Lingus chief corporate affairs officer, confirmed that the company was weighing further cancellations beyond Sunday, July 7th, and would decide later this week.

[ Aer Lingus cancelled flights: Up-to-date list of services disrupted due to industrial action ]

The meeting was the third time that the court has dealt with the dispute.

Pilots are seeking pay rises of 20 per cent-plus to compensate for inflation over the last four years, saying this is just €5 million a year more than what the company has offered.

Aer Lingus says it cannot give pilots increases greater than the 12.25 per cent agreed with cabin and ground crews without more productivity.

Ialpa members halted work between 5am and 1pm on Saturday, when about 500 of them marched and picketed at Dublin Airport.