Aer Lingus, IALPA set to attend meetings over pay dispute

Aer Lingus and the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) are to attend separate meetings at the Labour Court today to discuss the ongoing pilots pay dispute.

Despite the court’s intervention, industrial action in the form of an indefinite work-to-rule is still due to begin tomorrow, with an eight-hour strike planned for Saturday.

Aer Lingus has cancelled at least 220 flights from tomorrow to Sunday as a result of the action.

In a statement yesterday evening, Aer Lingus said it had received a request from the Labour Court to provide a briefing on the pilot pay dispute.

“Aer Lingus has confirmed that it will attend the meeting. Aer Lingus understands that Fórsa has received a request to attend a separate meeting with the court,” the airline said.

Taoiseach Simon Harris welcomed the decision of Aer Lingus and IALPA to separately meet with the Labour Court.

Earlier yesterday, Mr Harris had met employer and union representative bodies on a range of economic issues.

He had urged those present to do all they could to get both sides back to the talks table to resolve the matter as quickly as possible.

Tánaiste Micheál Martin yesterday described as “shocking” the degree to which the needs of the Irish travelling public were being ignored by both sides in the Aer Lingus dispute.

The airline had issued a fresh invite to IALPA for direct talks but the union said it would not re-enter negotiations that came with preconditions around flexibility and productivity.

IALPA said that the 24% increase it is seeking is based on cumulative inflation over recent years and that its members should not have to pay for their pay increase by agreeing to work practice changes.

On Sunday, each side in the pay dispute accused the other of refusing to meaningfully engage.