Labour Court to formally intervene in Aer Lingus pay row

The pilots had been seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019. Picture: Fintan Clarke

The Labour Court will formally intervene in the pay row between Aer Lingus and its pilots on Wednesday, raising hopes of a breakthrough in the bitter dispute.

Both the airline and the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) had been asked by the court to deliver written submissions by close of play Tuesday ahead of the full hearing on Wednesday from which the independent court will try to hammer out a deal both sides can agree to.

The Labour Court is exercising its right to intervene under legislation that permits it to do so under “exceptional circumstances”.

It is expected the Labour Court may make a recommendation within days aimed at resolving the dispute. However, any recommendation from the court is not legally binding and provides no guarantee the dispute will be resolved.

The move to a formal hearing comes after eight-hour talks between the parties at the Labour Court on Monday failed to break the impasse, as the industrial action continues.

Tens of thousands of passengers have been affected so far, with nearly 400 flights cancelled by Aer Lingus. The airline has cancelled flights through to Sunday due to the ongoing work-to-rule action which is seeing pilots not working overtime or accepting changes to set rosters.

If this situation does not change, it is expected the airline may cancel flights into next week too, potentially affecting thousands more holidaymakers.

The pilots had been seeking a pay increase of 24%, which they say equates to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019. Ialpa has indicated it would be willing to accept a lower pay increase but says a significant gap remains between its position and that of management.

Aer Lingus has said it is willing to offer pay increases of 12.25% or above if "improvements in productivity and flexibility" are discussed.

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The president of Ialpa, Captain Mark Tighe, said the group moved on its initial pay claim of 24% but claimed the company had not compromised "at all".

"The company, not only have they indicated that they were not moving off their statements of 12.25%, anything more being financed, they also brought to the Labour Court new demands which the Labour Court have not seen before," he said at the conclusion of the late talks on Monday.

"Having considered all of this, the Labour Court decided to use its authority under the Industrial Relations Act 1990 to have a formal investigation which will occur on a one-day event on Wednesday and it will then issue a recommendation."

The airline's chief corporate affairs officer Donal Moriarty insisted the company was trying to find resolution.

"Aer Lingus was open to reaching a solution using all avenues available to it for that solution," he said after the talks at the court on Monday. "We outlined those details to the court and the court has determined that a formal hearing is the best next step to take."