Representatives of management at Aer Lingus and IMPACT, the pilot’s union, are to appear go before the Labour Relations Court at 2pm tomorrow in an attempt to resolve the dispute which has resulted in the cancellation of Aer Lingus flights since yesterday.
While parties will appear before the court under the chair of Kevin Duffy, the agreement does not appear to be enough for Aer Lingus to cease the disruption to its flight schedule.
The company cancelled all flights today and will ground its fleet until Sunday at the earliest. Reservations will not be available until next Wednesday.
The news came as both sides attended talks at Government Buildings which were called by the National Implementation Body.
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Aer Lingus pilots on strike at Dublin Airport
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The leader of the pilots’ union IMPACT, Mr Peter McLoone, this morning said his members were "anxious to get the airline back to work as quickly as possible". But he warned the task should not be underestimated.
Management representatives were unwilling to comment as they entered the talks in Government buildings.
Aer Lingus passengers this morning began facing up to the disruption set to plague the holiday weekend as thousands will be affected by the airline’s decision last night to suspend all flights until Monday. The company said the move was necessary because the company’s Survival Plan was being jeopardised by the ongoing threat of strike action.
It has also stopped paying the 540 pilots who staged a one-day stoppage yesterday in protest at new rostering arrangements they claim will threaten passenger safety.
Pilots turned up for work this morning but were told they should return home.
The Socialist Party’s Mr Joe Higgins said Aer Lingus was behaving recklessly and trying to manipulate a situation to bring about the privatisation of the company.
"Using brutal tactics like this to drive down workers conditions and wages in a public sector company is reprehensible. It is clear that elements within management wish to create a situation where the privatisation of Aer Lingus would become a reality," he said. Ryanair pounced yesterday, saying it would put on an extra service between Dublin and London tomorrow to replace the Aer Lingus flight. A spokeswoman said the airline was considering more flights as long as Aer Lingus services were grounded.
Irish Ferries will also operate an additional sailing of the Dublin Swift ferry to Britain to cater for demand over the Bank Holiday weekend.
More than 100,000 travellers have been hit by the cancellations which are costing the company two million euros a day
Aer Lingus has set up a special phone line to answer flight queries: 0818 36 5000.