Aer Lingus Flight Crew Industrial relations thread 2024

At this point I would like to point out the fact that the operational management team keeping the airline and passengers moving by cutting some flights is not the same executive management team engaging in negotiations with IALPA…

is there a list of flights yet that will be operated by Ryanair?

I would have to say that from an IR point of view it’s better for the ‘top dog’ to stay out of the front line negotiations.Of course be available for consultation and guidance would be important .

I note your information on her non-availability is anecdotal and as I would have no information to either confirm or rebut that I can’t really comment.

Hopefully the LC will come up with something soon as for everybodies sake it’s a bad situation.

Hi Lintdrummer.

I suspect that there is not an ounce of truth in what you have heard anecdotally. I think your last sentence above is the true reflection of what is going on.

The CEO has been a largely anonymous figure in the company ever since she was appointed in 2021. The only time she regularly appears is to give a patronising video message thank you to the staff at quarterly results and a very occasional invite for a well rehearsed “coffee and chat”.

I can’t recall any other pilot pay dispute of this sort of significance when the CEO remained so anonymous. Think MOL of Ryanair pilot strikes in 2018 and Alex Cruz of BA pilot strikes in 2019.

Where is Lynne Embleton?

Working from home, running an airline of reasonable size, wow I’d like to see that home office set up it must be incredible. Certainly anyway of sufficient quality to persuade the IAG overlords that it’s doable.

Noted in an IALPA posting on Linkedin (provided as a translation from the Danish original):

“DAT has had two Airbus 320s in Dublin flying to European destinations for Aer Lingus while the Aer Lingus pilots were on strike.

This means that DAT pilots on a Danish collective agreement may have operated flights during the strike period, and it arouses anger among the DAT pilots' union FPU that the pilots have been put in this situation.

It is a completely reprehensible behavior on the part of the two airlines. We are investigating how many of our members have inadvertently become part of this. Our members were not informed that they were involved in a conflict, and the companies have behaved completely unscrupulously,’ says Thilde Waast, who is chairman of FPU.”

It seems a bit difficult to believe that, over a few weeks of operation, the DAT personnel did not realise that they were operating flights on behalf of a carrier where there was a dispute and work-to-rule under way.

Very interesting. I wonder though what the legality of the DAT pilots refusing to operate would be? They seem to be saying that they wouldn't have operated the flights if they had been aware of the conflict. If they do a lot of ad hoc lease work, I don't think it's that unbelievable that the individual crews involved were unaware of the conflict, it's the height of the Summer season, they are probably providing cover all over Europe.

https://m.independent.ie/life/travel/travel-news/aer-lingus-labour-court-recommends-1775pc-pay-rise-for-pilots-to-break-deadlock/a1285723007.html

Hopefully some progress to follow.

Depends on what's in the full recommendation really I suppose. Is the document available online yet? If there are working conditions being given away, it's unlikely the pilots will vote in favour of it, given all they have stated in the media.

I'd expect the vote to take a week once it starts, but the union will have to meet to consider the recommendation themselves before the vote can happen.

I wouldn't expect Aer Lingus to issue their decision until the pilots have voted.

"Pilots will not be asked for additional productivity or flexibility"

Not entirely true. The contentious crewing agreement is being scrapped by the recommendation according to the RTE article. That was described as an agreement that gave pilots better work/life balance so I'd say there must be an element of increased productivity associated with losing it.

It's great to see the labour court move quickly on this. Hopefully both sides will accept and then we can move on and enjoy the summer. The fact that the labour court is recommending a 17.75% pay rise, shows that the pilots were justified in seeking an increase. They aimed high and have a decent proposal by the labour court. Going all out for more than this won't be a good look for the pilots by the public.

Assuming there's no productivity stuff in that recommendation, feels like pilots should accept it. Leave it to Aer Lingus to decline then if they're going to hold to that 12.5% mark.

if no productivity changes the pilots be mad not accept it for maybe 1-3% at best

If the pilots accept it, the airline will too. It's almost unheard of for an employer to reject a recommendation if the staff side are taking it. Also, if either party rejects, the other will want to reintroduce all of their issues again in any further process.