Aer Lingus refused flights to some pilots in aftermath of industrial action

Aer Lingus has refused to give flights to some pilots sanctioned during their union’s recent work to rule after their union halted industrial action, it has emerged.

The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), part of trade union Fórsa, suspended industrial action at the carrier on Wednesday as members consider a proposed deal to boost pay by 17.75 per cent tabled this week by the Labour Court.

However, sources say the airline refused to allocate flights to some pilots sanctioned during their work to rule, despite their being available to work after the action was suspended.

They say some pilots who complied with the union’s instructions, and refused to work out of hours during the industrial action, had a “failure to join” marked on their rosters, a formal sanction used by airlines where pilots do not show up for work.

Those pilots told the airline they were available to work on Friday after the industrial action was suspended, but the airline told them they were still subject to the failure to join, and so the airline would not allocate them flights or put them on standby.

Concerns over the airline’s use of the failure to join sanction during the industrial action were among several that Ialpa raised during the week as its executive considered recommending the Labour Court deal to end the dispute.

Ialpa confirmed on Friday that it raised “several important matters” with Aer Lingus ahead of Wednesday’s decision to recommend the Labour Court offer.

These included staff air travel privileges, which the airline reinstated once pilots suspended industrial action and other issues.

Aer Lingus did not comment. The airline continues to operate a smaller schedule this weekend as it cancelled flights up to Tuesday, July 16th while the union’s industrial action was still under way.

Ialpa members will vote on the Labour Court proposal from Thursday, July 18th to Tuesday, July 23rd following meetings with the union’s officials.

Their union’s executive recommended the deal following two meetings this week, suspending a work to rule that forced Aer Lingus to cancel 573 flights, affecting almost 86,000 passengers.

The industrial action involved pilots refusing to work out of hours, overtime and late roster changes – flexibility needed by the airline during its busy summer period.

Flights that the airline cancelled through this weekend, and 25 that it cut for Monday, July 15th and Tuesday, July 16th, remain cancelled, as the airline cannot reverse that decision. However, it dropped plans to axe more services later next week once Ialpa’s executive confirmed on Wednesday night that it would suspend industrial action and recommend the Labour Court deal.

Aer Lingus flies 44,000 people daily on 220 services during this time of the year, its busiest and most profitable.

Pilots’ industrial action, including an eight-hour strike two weeks ago, cost the carrier about one in eight of its services.