Airline chiefs to man check in as strike looms
The airline is assembling a task force, made up of a number of people including airline management, who will take on some of the roles carried out by SIPTU workers, including baggage control and check in.
The airline has been thrown into turmoil by SIPTU’s decision to proceed with the action next week.
Aer Lingus wants to implement new cost-saving terms and conditions. The union says that in doing so Aer Lingus is breaking agreements only recently signed with its own employees.
Neither accepts responsibility for the expected inconvenience to thousands of passengers.
The extent of that disruption will become apparent on Monday when SIPTU officials are due to meet to consider a letter from management, warning that staff will be suspended if they do not cooperate with the training of new recruits hired under new terms and conditions.
The union represents more than 1,800 staff in all sections of the airline apart from pilots. They only represent a minority of the cabin crew.
Yesterday both sides continued to blame each other for the action.
Aer Lingus said the “deep-rooted, long-standing inefficient” work practices currently in place cannot continue because they are driving up costs and eroding its ability to remain competitive into the future.
Aer Lingus commercial director, Enda Corneille, said: “The dogs in the street know what the issues are. The difference is SIPTU is trying everything they can to avoid dealing with them. We know they can be dealt with in a process. They are being dealt in a process at the moment with IMPACT. We are calling on SIPTU to call off this action. We have called on the union to indicate what its plans are. The best it can tell us is that they will inform us when it suits them.”
However, SIPTU remains determined in its position. “SIPTU completely rejects the latest attempts by Aer Lingus management to spin themselves out of the hole they have dug for the airline, the workers and the travelling public by trying to load all the blame onto the union,” said SIPTU’s National Industrial Secretary, Michael Halpenny.
“The inescapable and uncomfortable fact for Aer Lingus is that it is the union which has so far taken four initiatives to resolve matters through the Labour Relations Commission, the Labour Court and National Implementation Body. It is the airline which, in rejecting attempts to have their actions dealt with by the Labour Court and the LRC, is insisting on their right to break agreements only recently signed off, and to push through cuts in employment conditions for staff,” he said. “They are now threatening to suspend staff for refusing to go along with management’s position,” he added.
SIPTU also rejected suggestions by the airline that the cuts would benefit workers because, as employee shareholders, they would benefit from profits generated by the efficiencies.
Mr Halpenny said workers faced the loss of between €2,500 and €6,000 yearly as well as a reduction in holidays by one to four days.
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