Irish Examiner view: Aer Lingus pilots have a right to take industrial action
Many people's first thought is whether the Ialpa work-to-rule at Aer Lingus will affect their travel plans. But here's another thought: Employees hold power, and always should.
That means pilots will refuse to work overtime or engage in any other out-of-hours duties requested by management.
This is being monitored closely by thousands of Irish people who are looking forward to foreign holidays.
Uncertainty about flights being postponed or cancelled is no way to prepare for a restorative trip to the sun.
The news did not improve yesterday when the matter of travel insurance was mentioned by Clare Dunne, chief executive of the Irish Travel Agents Association.
She pointed out that it was too late for people to take out travel insurance “as the companies would mark the disruption as a ‘known event’”, a further disappointment to concerned holidaymakers.
There is still some time for the airline and pilots to hammer out a deal, of course.
Experienced observers of industrial disputes will recognise the stages here: Raising the stakes, escalating tensions, potential catastrophes envisaged and — hopefully — a resolution that is satisfactory to all the parties concerned.
It was striking to hear Ms Dunne advocate strongly on behalf of the travelling public when she said: “They’ve paid a lot of money and this could be their one trip of the year to get away from the normal toll of ordinary life. These people are earning a lot less than pilots.”
This is a reasonable talking point but doesn’t have any bearing on the current dispute, nor should it.
It stands to reason that just as there are holidaymakers who earn a lot less than the pilots, there are others who are earning a lot more.
The pilots are perfectly entitled to take industrial action and seek better terms and conditions, and it makes sense that they would do so at a time when it is most likely to help their cause. Employees hold power, and should always do so.
The decline in union power in recent decades may have blinded many to that essential truth, but Ialpa members are well within their rights to act as they have. Let us hope both parties agree a deal — and soon.
This newspaper has revealed that the centre of Cork City is set for major works — focusing on footpaths, pedestrian crossings, and street furniture.
Some of the city’s main streets, including the central thoroughfare of St Patrick’s Street, will close while the work is being carried out through the summer, with traffic diversions to be put in place. The scale of those diversions is a good indication of the size of the project being undertaken to improve the infrastructure for all on Leeside.
There can be no arguing with the need for those works. In his report, Eoin English pointed out that the local authority had received “sustained criticism” relating to the infrastructure in the centre of Cork for quite some time.
Despite the disruption that will affect traffic for some months, the upgrading and improvement are long overdue. Those visiting, living in, and working in Cork deserve an environment which can be enjoyed — rather than endured.
There is a wider context which should also be considered here. Whether as a result of covid restrictions, the move towards online commerce as opposed to brick-and-mortar shops, the suburbanisation of Irish life, or all three combined with other factors, urban centres all over the country are having a hard time of it.
Dereliction in the built environment and vacant storefronts contribute to a sense that inner cities and town centres are being forsaken — if not overtly abandoned.
On that basis, this move in Cork is welcome as a vote of confidence in an urban centre. The timing of the works is not ideal, given the approaching tourist season, while serious disruption of bus routes can also be expected.
Investment in the public realm does not always have a clear and immediate return, but creating a city that is welcoming and user-friendly — rather than ramshackle and rundown — is a necessity.
Cork City Council is to be commended on grasping the nettle and offering an example to other towns and cities in Ireland: Do not to give up on urban centres.
For those browsing social media sites on Tuesday evening, there was a sudden flurry of activity announcing the death of American academic and political activist Noam Chomsky.
Having suffered a stroke last year at the age of 94, it was hardly a shock, and some magazines rushed obituaries online paying tribute.
The only problem was that Chomsky was not dead at all, his wife Valeria quickly confirming he was alive and well.
For a writer whose reputation rests in part on sharp analysis of media bias and coverage in books such as , the irony must have been sweet indeed.
The headlong rush to commemorate Chomsky’s life and career should be a warning to all about the dangers of relying on online sources — and the added peril of wanting the dopamine hit of posting on social media ahead of everyone else.
Establishing the facts by contacting credible sources is not likely to give the same rush, but there is an uncomfortable truth inherent in that work which may not sit well with online personalities and influencers. That is how the facts are gathered, and it is the work done by credible publications.
That is what gives outlets their credibility.
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