Air staff vote for action over pensions

Siptu members working in Aer Lingus and Shannon Airport Authority have joined their colleagues in the Dublin Airport Authority in backing strike action over the almost €800m hole in a pension scheme.

No date has been set for a strike, though if it were to go ahead, it would likely ground tens of thousands of passengers for the duration. The union has said it needs to speak with other unions as well as its own members not involved in the Irish Airlines Superannuation Scheme before proceeding with strikes.

In the ballot in Aer Lingus, 91% voted in favour of taking industrial action while 80% voted in favour of strike action. The ballot in Shannon Airport Authority returned a result of 98% in favour of industrial action and 96% in favour of strike.

In Aer Lingus, more than 76% of the members also said they would prefer their ongoing pension contributions to the scheme to be withheld pending resolution of the dispute on the issue.

The union has accused the trustees of the pension scheme, the regulatory authority, and the DAA, of “intransigence and procrastination” over the scheme.

In response, Aer Lingus management said the renewed prospect of industrial action was unhelpful to making progress towards reaching a solution “which is in the interests of all parties”.

The company also told intending passengers that “our schedule is planned to operate as normal.”