Irish holidaymakers face summer of chaos with looming pilots' strike
Aer Proceed Daily Passengers 95% Colin Those Keegan/collins 40,000 Should The With Up Typically Fears Picture: Their Flights Carries Lingus Would To Strike Of Summer Months, Travellers Over The See Cancelled
Holidaymakers are facing a summer of chaos, with Aer Lingus pilots set to strike, potentially within the next two weeks.
In the build-up to the busiest part of the holiday season, Aer Lingus members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) voted overwhelmingly on Wednesday to take industrial action, up to and including the withdrawal of service, over a pay dispute with the airline.
Both parties met for face-to-face talks following the pilots’ ballot from Thursday morning, however, sources on both sides agreed little progress had been made. Talks were adjourned on Thursday evening and it was unclear at the time whether further discussions would take place.
“Everyone is speaking, but no one is being heard,” said one source of how the talks had unfolded.
Should Aer Lingus pilots actually go on strike it would be the first time for 22 years.
The airline typically carries up to 40,000 passengers daily over the summer months, with fears 95% of those travellers would see their flights cancelled should the strike proceed.
Ialpa wants a 23.8% pay rise for its pilots, which it says has precedent in a similar rise given to British Airways pilots in 2019. Both BA and Aer Lingus are part of the International Airlines Group.
The ballot for action follows two workplace determinations with regard to pilots in recent months, one from a Pilot Pay Tribunal last December, and the second from the Labour Court last month, the latter of which proposed a 9.25% pay hike. While Aer Lingus had accepted those offers, Ialpa rejected both.
Pilot remuneration at Aer Lingus varies depending upon the employee’s experience, rank and length of service. A captain with nine years’ experience is currently paid €116,000, rising to €177,000 when individual flight pay, pension contributions and other add-ons are accounted for.
As the prospect of industrial action increased earlier this week, Aer Lingus chief operations officer Adrian Dunne wrote to Ialpa requesting at least 15 days’ notice be given of any strike.
“This level of notice has been a norm where industrial action has been taken internationally in other airlines,” he said.
However, union sources suggested an initial stoppage could conceivably occur within the next fortnight. The legal minimum notice that can be given is one week.
Ialpa president Mark Tighe said the 98% vote for industrial action shows the pilots are “determined to secure a fair and reasonable pay rise after years of inflation”, noting Aer Lingus had posted €225m in profits in 2023, a 400% increase on 12 months previous.
Sources in Aer Lingus said any industrial action during summer would so disrupt the airline’s bottom line as to make pay rises of any sort untenable.