Aer Lingus pilots to consider strike action

Aer Lingus pilots meet this evening to decide if they will take industrial action with little prospect of management and the pilots' union finding a basis for discussions.

The vast majority of the redundancies being sought are co-pilots, who are entitled to the same deal as all other staff. Mr Michael Landers

IMPACT union representative Mr Michael Landers, told

ireland.com

the pilots would meet this evening to decide if strike ballots should be issued. If it is agreed to ballot, pilots will have one week - from today - to cast their vote.

This means the airline could face industrial action as early as February 6th.

The company wants to make 80 pilots compulsorily redundant as part of its survival plan. Ten junior pilots have received redundancy notices so far.

However, the company is unwilling to consider alternatives to its current course of action, says Mr Landers.

"If this is purely a cost issue then the company could put together a voluntary package for 20 captains - which would save the company the same sum as cutting 80 junior pilots," said Mr Landers.

He said the current deal of four weeks pay for every year of service to a maximum of 2 years or €63,500 did not apply to senior pilots. Under this scheme pilots would be entitled to €180,000.

He added the union remained opposed to compulsory redundancies.

Mr Dan Loughrey, Aer Lingus corporate affairs director, said the company now had 31 planes in operation while its compliment of 530 pilots was with a view to running 39 aircraft.

He said the company could not keep staff for whom there was no work.

"The vast majority of the redundancies being sought are co-pilots, who are entitled to the same deal as all other staff", he said.

The company has offered captains - who are on a higher pay scale than co-pilots - a €63,500 lump sum and early retirement at 48 rather than 55-years of age.

He added that the unions were trying to bring in parts of old pay agreements during the talks. "[IMPACT] want a series of objectives including pay awards under the Durkin Plan which was deferred and benchmarking with other One World Alliance pilots."

Although neither side would comment on the financial implications of a pilots’ strike, it is believed such industrial action would cost the company between €2.5 and €3.8 million per day.

There was no progress reported after talks between both sides yesterday.