Aer Lingus row goes to Labour Court

A row that could have led to disruption of Aer Lingus flights was defused yesterday following the intervention of the National Implementation Body.

As a result, the dispute between management and SIPTU over the operation of cleaning services, will be referred to the Labour Court.

The row is over moves by the company to outsource cleaning of aircraft. The union says the issue should be dealt with as part of the wider talks on a restructuring of the airline. There are currently 60 full-time staff directly employed as cleaners by the airline.

Aer Lingus sought to proceed with its outsourcing plan after alternative cost-cutting measures proposed by the union and implemented on a trial basis failed to deliver the required level of savings.

SIPTU representatives claim their alternative proposal was not given sufficient time to be properly tested.

It has accused the company of denying cleaners their right to due process by seeking to go ahead with the hiring of an external cleaning agency without agreement. The union already has a mandate to take industrial action on the issue.

In a statement yesterday the National Implementation Body, a partnership group comprising high-level government, union and employer representatives, said it had met both sides in the dispute.

It had requested the Labour Court "at its earliest possible convenience" to advise the parties on the best approach for resolving the issues in dispute".