Aer Lingus pilots begin industrial action cancelling hundreds of flights

Industrial action by Aer Lingus pilots that has already seen 270 flights cancelled has begun.

The indefinite work-to-rule commenced at midnight with pilots now refusing to work overtime, accept changes to set rosters, or take on out-of-hours management requests.

An eight-hour strike is also planned for Saturday.

The travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers have been affected, with the airline having been working to offer refunds or alternative flights to those whose trips have been axed.

A resolution to the bitter dispute over pay does not look imminent after the Irish Labour Court told both sides on Tuesday it will not be intervening at the present time.

The airline and the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), a branch of the Forsa trade union, have been involved in a heated exchange of words in recent days, with each accusing the other of not engaging.

The 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.

Both sides agreed to attend separate meetings at the Labour Court in Dublin on Tuesday to provide briefings on the industrial stand-off.

After its meeting, Aer Lingus said it was “disappointed” the court had assessed that it could not currently assist to bridge the gap between the sides.

“Aer Lingus has made it clear that it remains available for discussions both directly and through the state’s industrial relations framework,” the airline’s statement added.

“Aer Lingus will continue to focus on minimising the disruption caused to customers by Ialpa’s industrial action.

“Aer Lingus is calling upon Forsa/Ialpa to consider the damage that its continued industrial action is inflicting upon passengers, the company and the Irish economy.”

Emerging from the court, Ialpa president Mark Tighe made clear the action would proceed.

“The actions continue as they are notified and will continue until there is a resolution,” he said.

Irish premier Simon Harris has asked both sides to “dig deep” in an attempt to come to a resolution.

The Taoiseach said it is “absolutely vital” that both sides engage in talks to find a resolution.

“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,” Mr Harris said on Tuesday.

“This dispute will be settled the same way every dispute is settled: compromise, engagement, sitting around a table. That’s what needs to happen.”

He said there would be “very little sympathy” for anybody involved in cancelling family holidays and disrupting the tourism sector if they are not engaging “intensively”.

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