Pilots at Aer Lingus ballot for action

Aer Lingus pilots began balloting for industrial action last night as part of their campaign to prevent the company introducing compulsory redundancies. The company wants to remove 80 pilots - 20 captains and 60 co-pilots - from the payroll as part of its plans to cut operating costs and shed 2,026 jobs overall. Ten pilots have already been served with 30-day compulsory redundancy notice.

Mr Michael Landers, assistant general secretary of IMPACT, said he was very pleased with the capacity attendance at last night's meeting. "It is indicative of the feeling among pilots that they have been singled out for compulsory redundancy."

One of the pilots who has already received her redundancy notice, Ms Jill McDonald, was taken off the roster on Tuesday after a letter she wrote was published in that day's Irish Times. She asked a previous correspondent: "Are his colleagues owed more than 1,600 weeks of leave? Are they the lowest paid in their industry? Did they forfeit a 21 per cent pay increase on the condition that there were no involuntary redundancies? Did they establish a binding agreement with their company which states that several conditions must be met before involuntary redundancies are sought, only to be broken by the company?" She added that, "You can only give so much; then comes the time to take a stand."

Yesterday, the Aer Lingus director of corporate affairs, Mr Dan Loughrey, said all 10 pilots served with compulsory redundancy notice had been told at the time that, if they suffered stress as a result, they could stand themselves down. Ms MacDonald had given interviews to the broadcast media as well as writing to The Irish Times expressing her concerns and her manager had decided to "take her off rostered duty to establish if she was okay".

It was not a suspension, Mr Loughrey stressed, and "it was not to do with the media per se, but it was about establishing a person's state of mind and ability to fly aircraft safely".

The action has, however, heightened tensions between pilots and the company, although no immediate industrial action is anticipated. The strike ballot will conclude next Thursday. Even if it is in favour of action, at least one week's strike notice would be served.