Aer Lingus has warned that cabin crew who refuse to operate controversial new rosters could be sacked.
The airline said that it will be writing to 140 members of cabin crew, who have been removed from the payroll as part of the current dispute, offering them another opportunity to agree to operate the new rosters.
A spokesman said that those who did not agree to do so would be placed "in a process which could ultimately see them removed from the company and replaced".
The Impact trade union, which represents the cabin crew, accused the airline to trying to intimidate cabin crew into submission. It claimed the airline was trying to divide a unified group of workers who were determined to protect their working conditions.
Impact, which represents 1,100 cabin crew, most of them working for Aer Lingus, said management were misjudging the mood of staff by issuing threats to sack them.
“Cabin crew are absolutely solid in their support for one another and in their determination to protect their working conditions and a reasonable work-life balance,” said a union spokesman.
Over 200 Aer Lingus staff marched to the airline’s headquarters at Dublin airport today to tell the company they are ready willing and able to work. They gave a letter to Aer Lingus chief executive Christoph Mueller to say they do not understand why they have been turned away from work and taken off the payroll.
Aer Lingus said last night that more than 100 members of cabin crew, who are represented by the trade union Impact, had been taken off the payroll by management for refusing to operate controversial new rosters.
In their letter, the cabin crew said they remain loyal to Aer Lingus but are also loyal to each other and their families, “whose quality of life we are trying to protect”.
The workers say they are unable to understand why Mr Mueller “preferred to waste scarce company resources to hire in aircraft and crew when we are reporting for duty every day”.
Aer Lingus has hired aircraft from Ryanair and other airlines in an effort to operate a full flight schedule today as its dispute with cabin crew continues. Aer Lingus has operated the vast bulk of its scheduled service today. However, a flight from Dublin to Chicago this afternoon has been cancelled.
This morning, Aer Lingus director of human resources Michael Grealy defended the decision to lease aircraft. "We'll do whatever we need to do to minimise disruption to our customers and hiring in aircraft is part of that, it's a normal part of doing business in the airline industry," he told RTÉ's Morning Ireland.
Mr Grealy said a number of cabin crew were willing to work and were not in dispute with the company. “There are a number of employees who are co-operating with the roster.”
Impact said yesterday that it had submitted 28 discrimination claims to the director of the Equality Tribunal on behalf of cabin crew who had been removed from duties and payroll. It said it had asked the tribunal to investigate claims that the company’s action may breach equality laws that ban discrimination on the grounds of family status and gender.
The union said the discrimination arose from the imposition of rosters which had greater impact on female staff and which made it impossible for staff to manage their family responsibilities.
Separately, it is understood that the pilots’ association Ialpa is to donate €100,000 to alleviate financial distress to cabin crew as a result of the dispute.
Aer Lingus cancelled 34 flights to British and European destinations yesterday because of the dispute. The cancellations caused disruption to more than 2,600 passengers.