Passengers face delays as cabin crew begin work-to-rule action

AER LINGUS passengers face delays and disruption from today as cabin crew begin an indefinite work-to-rule.

The 1,200-stong staff will no longer shorten or cut their meal and rest breaks in order to make up time on delayed flights.

Bernard Harbor of IMPACT, the union representing cabin crew, said: "This will have an effect when flights come in delayed. Up until now, staff have voluntarily cut meal breaks and rest times in order to get planes turned around quickly for departure. They won't do that now."

That means people getting a plane which had landed late will in turn have their departure time delayed.

"What's likely to happen is that it will have an accumulative effect and become more and more of a problem for Aer Lingus and its ability to keep to schedule," said Mr Harbor.

He said Aer Lingus flights at all airports would be hit, but that it will mostly affect Dublin airport, which has the bulk of short-haul flights. He said they regretted any inconvenience to passengers.

"The cabin crew are forced into a position to take some kind of action to get an intransigent management to negotiate seriously."

Mr Harbor said the company had failed to pay the 4% wage rise agreed under the Programme for Prosperity and Fairness, due last October.

"When we are close to a settlement, the company keeps throwing in extra changes to working conditions. We have given incredible productivity in the last couple of years. There are 20% fewer cabin crew running more flights. Staff took a one-year pay freeze."

Mr Harbor said there were no plans to escalate the dispute.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus said the action was unnecessary and that the IMPACT cabin crew was the only work group in the company in dispute over work changes.

He said it was difficult to say what impact the action will have on flights.

Meanwhile, IMPACT has a mandate to commence a strike on September 15 on behalf on air traffic controllers at Dublin, Shannon and Cork.