Aer Lingus cabin crew reps to decide on industrial action
The airline is significantly to increase the frequency of its services to the US from January but is to use Boeing 757s — smaller than the Airbus 330s and 320s which it uses on the transatlantic routes at present.
Initially it had been planned that the airline would hire aircraft from leasing company ASL Aviation and that, while they would be piloted by ASL employees, Aer Lingus cabin crew based at Shannon Airport would be used.
However, cabin crew members of Impact trade union were unhappy that the change in aircraft size was being accompanied by a reduction in the number of cabin crew that would be used on each flight. At present, transatlantic flights are crewed by up to eight staff. Aer Lingus said it wanted that to be reduced to four on the new planes, but the union said it wanted six.
As a result, the airline has now told Impact that, due to the lack of agreement, it plans to use ASL cabin crew. That would make a number of the airline’s 90 Shannon-based crew surplus to requirements.
In a letter to the union, the airline’s director of change and engagement, Sean Murphy, wrote: “Where 40 new positions were to be created within the company, these positions will now be created with ASL Aviation. In addition, we will have a significant surplus of cabin crew at our Shannon base. Our next challenge will be to work through the consequential issues around this unfortunate situation which, in our view, can only be seen as a lost opportunity for the Aer Lingus employees that you represent.”
Impact said it denied management claims that the union is unwilling to discuss new crewing arrangements on the routes. It said the company had refused to engage in genuine negotiations about the new crewing arrangements.
It also said management proposals to halve crew numbers “would fail to maintain the level of in-flight service to passengers”.
Impact official Michael Landers said: “We have made consistent efforts to engage meaningfully on this issue with the company. But it has emerged that they simply want to outsource the service, rather than agree how experienced Shannon-based crew can continue to deliver what is an excellent service.”
