Aer Lingus and pilots agree to Labour Court meetings as strike looms
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The Taoiseach has welcomed the decision of Aer Lingus and the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (IALPA) to attend separate meetings at the Labour Court tomorrow.
Simon Harris said that given the “unique” nature of the Aer Lingus dispute, it is important that the row over pilot pay is resolved as quickly as possible.
He had urged those involved to do all they could to get people back to talks to resolve the matter quickly and avert any further disruption and distress for families.
"These meetings provide an opportunity to try make progress and ensure the travelling public are not further affected by this dispute," the Taoiseach said this evening.
Earlier, Tánaiste Micheál Martin said it is “shocking” that families due to travel for their holidays are being ignored by both sides involved in the Aer Lingus dispute.
Speaking at a Foreign Affairs Council in Luxembourg, Mr Martin said that the only way the pay dispute would be resolved was by both parties coming to the table for negotiations.
“I think it is shocking the degree to which the needs of those who travel are being, in my view, ignored in the context of this dispute,” Mr Martin said.
“There’s only one way to resolve this and that’s through negotiations and getting around the table. It is that simple by the way.
“All disputes end and the most effective way that they end is by utilizing the industrial relations machinery that we have available in the State.”
The dispute between Aer Lingus and the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (Ialpa) kicked off last week, with the pilots due to undertake an indefinite work-to-rule from Wednesday.
Alongside this, a full eight-hour strike will take place on Saturday, between 5am and 1pm, which is expected to impact around 15,000 passengers.
The union is seeking a pay rise of 24% for pilots across three years, saying this is due to inflation of wages since the last pay increase provided in 2019.
The airline has said it is cancelling at least 244 flights between Wednesday and Sunday due to the industrial action.
Mr Martin appealed for both the Ialpa and Aer Lingus to begin negotiations and consider the thousands of workers and families seeking to travel for their holidays.
“This is the one time in the year that they get an opportunity to travel for their holidays. They’ve planned for these, they’ve saved for these,” Mr Martin said.
“It’s shocking that they’ve been ignored and willfully, if you like, put to one side in this battle between the management of Aer Lingus and the unions.
“There is an obligation on the company to make every effort to create momentum around talks and getting around the industrial relations table, using that machinery and getting an agreement hammered out.”