Aer Lingus Flight Crew Industrial relations thread 2024

I'm not sure I get the point of your first paragraph, but solely from a common sense perspective: the point of a strike is to disrupt your employer and make a point. Unfortunately, customers, regardless of what business is involved in industrial action, get caught in the crossfire. There would be absolutely no point in striking at a time when the company can easily circumvent the action, the point doesn't get made, people are still pissed off but the industrial relations issues don't get solved. If you've gotten to the point where a strike is on the table, you better make it count.

You're correct that there is a pilot shortage globally. As has been pointed out before, pilots that leave an airline have to start in another airline at the bottom of the scale, potentially throwing away years of service at their original employer and taking a pay cut until they've accrued similar service at their new employer. That hasn't stopped people from doing it, but it's a disincentive and Aer Lingus know that. Other factors to consider are that commuting abroad or indeed moving abroad may not be viable for everyone, depending on family life. Moving airline and taking a pay cut that leads to longer term better earnings has to be weighed up against the possibility of losing one's medical license too, every year the possibility of your career coming to a halt over an otherwise routine medical condition is a distinct possibility.

Your simplistic view of work to rule is pretty flawed. For one thing, working overtime is not and should not be a requirement for pilots. There are legal limits on how much they can work and they exist for a reason. Fatigue has and unfortunately will continue to lead to fatal accidents because companies want to save money by hiring fewer pilots. But that aside, overtime isn't the only thing involved in a work to rule. It's all in the media over the last few days so you can look up exactly what's involved yourself.

I'm aware of what it is.

Imagine being that type of person though that wouldn't answer a work call after hours from your EMPLOYER for a situation of what could be of utmost importance………………..

Fair enough, if they are calling every 10 minutes, but if it is ONLY to take a phone call. That's bullshit.

That’s not a thing though. Ordinary line pilots aren’t getting urgent phonecalls out of hours/on days off for anything other than being asked to work when they’re not rostered.

I don’t know why you place any importance on an ‘EMPLOYER’ calling you. Unless your job specifically requires (and suitably compensates) you to be contactable at all times, then an employer has absolutely no business contacting you.

With aviation, legally mandated rest is a thing. And any contact from an employer during rest periods is considered disturbance of that rest. Hence why pilots are not considered contactable during their rest periods. Yet, unscrupulous airlines still do it because their priority is greed and cost-saving and they don’t give a flying ‘f*ck.

Lack of forethought on the management side does not constitute an emergency on the pilot's side.

If you are REQUIRED to be contactable by phone on your day off in any other industry, you get paid for that time you are supposed to contactable. That's how it works in any normal functioning workplace. I know someone in an office job who leaves his work phone in his desk over the weekend. Whenever anyone says they couldn't call him, he says "yeah, I know, that's the point…….If you want me to be on call, you better pay me an extra 48+hrs pay".

Airlines have scummy practices in place that should have been challenged long ago. Don't cabin crew only get paid when the plane leaves the gate? And any time until then = no pay? Or am I imagining this?

Anyone who chooses to support Aer Lingus over their staff because they're on more money than they are themselves is a fool. Didn't see any pilots making €225,000,000 last year.

That's quite the number.

There will be a lot of nervous travellers worrying about their upcoming plans

Let’s hope they can merge a few lhr and ams to soften the blow for people. I would guess the flights to summer climates are the ones that could cause the biggest disruption for the general public. I guess until we see flights on the list we won’t know. Will fr pounce with say €200 single flights to Malaga or faro if one of these cancelled

How do they decide which flights are going to be cancelled? Is it the last 10-20% of flights each day?

Question, I recall something before that if an airline cancels, they could rebook you on a competitors flight and they've to pay for it eg they cancel me to Malaga but there's a seat on FR so EI books that seat for me if I so choose?

Doesn't a work to rule mean that pilots will only fly flights for which they have previously been rostered for, so EI have to cancel those flights which they were relying on pilots to volunteer for overtime?

That'd be for a travel insurance claim. But, if you didn't buy insurance prior to this being in the news, you're probably SOL unfortunately.

cant you cancel that up to 4hrs notice