Peace move in Air Lingus dispute

Ireland's Labour Relations Commission is drawing up recommendations in a bid to end an industrial dispute which threatens the future of the national airline, Aer Lingus.

The Labour Relations Commission is drawing up recommendations in a bid to end an industrial dispute which threatens the future of Aer Lingus.

Airline management and the pilots' union, Impact, agreed to the move after a hearing of the Labour Court which ended in the early hours of today.

Pilots staged a one-day strike on Thursday protesting at new work rosters but the airline said the threat of further stoppages had forced them to ground all flights until Tuesday at the earliest.

Aer Lingus is losing €2m every day the fleet is grounded.

More than 100,000 travellers have been hit by the cancellations, tarnishing the reputation of Aer Lingus at home and abroad.

Pilots have been taken off the payroll until the dispute is resolved.

The trade union Siptu, which represents ground staff, has warned that the dispute could destroy the airline while tourism and business bosses have issued dire warnings for the economy.

The Labour Relations Commission was involved in the formation of a survival plan for the company last October in the wake of growing financial losses.

The now-disputed work rosters were a part of that agreement, which also saw more than 2,000 people taking redundancy.

The semi state-owned airline is expected to lose at least €130m this year after an estimated 90 million euros loss last year.