Aer Lingus staff to strike unless pay freeze lifted

AER Lingus ground staff have threatened to begin strike action if the airline does not lift a freeze on pay increases worth up to 7.5% each.

The company has withheld the payments — arrears under national wage agreements and in-house agreements — since last October and threatened to keep the money indefinitely unless the ground staff agreed to accept their half of the airline’s e20 million cost saving programme.

The increases were also initially withheld from cabin crew but that freeze was lifted when the air staff agreed to their e10m share of the savings programme.