IALPA rejects Aer Lingus claims over engagement

The president of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) has said that claims by Aer Lingus that it had repeatedly sought to enage with the union were “not accurate.”

Speaking on RTÉ’s This Week, Mark Tighe said: “we met them last on Monday and we’ve asked repeatedly since then to meet them, most recently the 21st and yesterday the 22nd,” he said.

“The impasse clearly sits with Aer Lingus,” he said.

His comments come as Aer Lingus said it has written to pilots today to request meaningful direct discussions to seek a resolution to the ongoing dispute over pay.

The airline yesterday confirmed that at least 244 flights are now cancelled for next week from Wednesday to Sunday due to industrial action being taken by the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA).

Next Saturday alone 120 flights have been cancelled, because of eight hours of strike action by pilots, which will impact 15,000 passengers.

In a statement, the airline said this afternoon it has repeatedly sought to engage directly with IALPA on ways to increase pilot pay beyond the 12.25% increase agreed with all other collectively bargained groups, based upon reaching agreement on improvements in productivity and flexibility.

It said IALPA has to date refused to enter into those meaningful discussions, and it ended the most recent direct discussions with the company on Monday 17 June.

The airline said it has also asked IALPA and the Forsa trade union to re-engage with the industrial relations machinery of the State – the Labour Court and the Workplace Relations Commission – but at this point they have rejected this request.

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Mr Tighe has said pilots are looking “to retain” their previous pay, not improve it.

Mr Tighe said the pay claim of 24% “is to do with the inflation over the period of time. It’s an accumulative increase,” he said.

“This figure should have been paid … over the period of time in 1%, 2% and 3%, accumulating to deal with inflation,” he added.

Regarding the escalation in industrial action by the union, Mr Tighe said: “The company had become very aggressive over the last week.”

Mr Tighe said that the airline had “set up a pilot sickness review committee which is not in our agreements, so they are contacting each individual pilot who they believe is excessively sick”.

He described this as an “outright attack” and “designed to intimidate”.

“Pilot sickness is a significant legal thing because a pilot, obvioulsy by law, cannot be in control of an aircraft when they are sick,” he said.

Mr Tighe said that claims of fake illness are “utterly baseless and false”.

He added that Aer Lingus had ” threatened to cancel our working conditions”, adding that the airline had also “individually written to member pilots yesterday, where they accused them of breaching the company’s social media protocol”.

The IALPA president noted that “top excutive management” at Aer Lingus between 2019 and 2023 had “their pay increased by 66%”.

“We’re just looking for inflation,” he added.

Regarding the possibility of all-out strike action, Mr Tighe said that was “certainly a possibility”. However, he said that “it’s not being discussed at this moment in time”, adding that there is a “possibility that the company may take drastic action”.

Mr Tighe said that the union “absolutely” has the support of its members in relation to this dispute.

“In fact, our cabin crew union representatives wrote to the Association and expressed their clear support for us”.

He said that the union “are not and do not want to affect our passengers and Irish businesses”.

Meanwhile, Minister for Education Norma Foley has said “now is an opportunity” for IALPA and Aer Lingus to begin talks to resolve the ongoing dispute.

Minister Foley said it is “hugely important” that both sides “come around the table.

“I really would urge all sides to come around the table now,” she said.

Speaking on the same programme, Ms Foley said: “The industrial mechanisms of the State are available to all sides.”

Regarding the possibility of Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment Peter Burke intervening in the dispute, Ms Foley said: “It is better when they come to the table with a willingness to solve the situation.”

She added: “I am confident that Minister Burke is very diligently watching what’s happening here.”

“This situation is going to be solved, it is ultimately going to be solved,” she said.

“Now is the time, sooner rather than later to come around the table and solve the differences and solve the issues,” she added.