Aer Lingus talks fail as thousands to face travel disruption from midnight

Hopes of a last-minute reprieve for thousands of passengers have been squashed as last-ditch talks between Aer Lingus and pilots have failed.

There is set to be much travel chaos for customers from tomorrow, as an indefinite work-to-rule will take place for the next five days, with an eight-hour all-out strike on Saturday. It was hoped that industrial action could be avoided as Aer Lingus management and Forsa/ the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA) both attended separate meetings with the Labour Court today.

However, the Labour Court said it was unable to assist with the dispute, so it remains that over 35,000 customers will be affected by flight cancellations. In a statement released by Aer Lingus following the talks, it said: “Aer Lingus is disappointed that following the Labour Court’s separate meetings with Aer Lingus and Forsa / IALPA today, that its assessment is that it is unable to assist in the dispute at this time.

READ MORE: Aer Lingus strikes LIVE: More flights cancelled as crunch talks continue

“Aer Lingus has made it clear that it remains available for discussions both directly and through the State’s industrial relations framework. Aer Lingus will continue to focus on minimising the disruption caused to customers by IALPA’s industrial action.”

The airline is once again calling on pilots to “consider the damage that its continued industrial action is inflicting upon passengers, the company and the Irish economy.” This comes as the airline announced a further 50 flight cancellations today on top of the 244 flights already axed.

Speaking this morning, Taoiseach Simon Harris said it was “absolutely vital” that both sides engage in talks to find a resolution. He said: “My challenge to the parties now is to bring that engagement forward, rather than putting people through a prolonged period of agony and chaos, and then engaging in the end anyway.

“This dispute will be settled the same way every dispute is settled: compromise, engagement, sitting around a table. That’s what needs to happen. The Taoiseach added that there would be “very little sympathy” for anybody involved in cancelling family holidays and disrupting the tourism sector if they are not engaging “intensively”.

Tanaiste Micheal Martin said: “We do hope that the talks between Aer Lingus and IALPA are substantive, and that they lead to a pathway to a resolution of the dispute and relieve the anxiety and stress that thousands and thousands of people are feeling at the moment in respect of proposed industrial action. I think there’s an urgent necessity now to resolve this, and to bring some peace of mind to people who’ve been planning all year to go on their holidays.”

Aer Lingus has said that passengers due to travel between Wednesday June 26 and next Tuesday July 2 will continue to be given the option to change their flights for free, to cancel their flight and claim a refund or voucher. It added: “Aer Lingus fully understands the anxiety being experienced by customers given the uncertainty caused by Ialpa’s industrial action and is giving customers as many options as possible, should they wish to change their plans.”

Pilots are seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019. Aer Lingus has said it is willing to offer pay increases of 12.5% or above if “improvements in productivity and flexibility” are discussed, however, this has been heavily rejected by the union.

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