TEAM faces industrial unrest over deferred pay increases

TEAM Aer Lingus is once more facing serious industrial unrest

TEAM Aer Lingus is once more facing serious industrial unrest. Unions at the aircraft maintenance company are becoming impatient over deferred pay rises and are complaining that the role of shop stewards is being undermined.

Meanwhile, the company is understood to have fallen behind schedule in reducing operating costs. This will make it difficult for TEAM to meet union pay claims. The company has been in contact with the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to voice its concerns. However, the ICTU group within the company is divided and has not been meeting regularly.

SIPTU's 150 general operatives at TEAM are to hold a strike ballot during the first three days of next week over a £20 a week productivity bonus, which they claim is two and a half years overdue. The votes will be counted on Friday and are expected to be overwhelmingly in favour of strike action.

They are also complaining that TEAM has not honoured commitments to "upskill" general operatives, because of opposition from craftworkers.

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Under the Labour Court recommendation which settled a dispute at TEAM in 1994, the productivity bonus is one of a number of issues the company must address when it returns to profitability. However this will not happen before 1999, at the earliest.

Last year, TEAM reduced its operating losses from £9 million to £6 million, but this is not enough to put it on target to reach a break even position by 1999. Management says it cannot pay the £20 a week bonus without setting a dangerous precedent that would allow the other 1,400 TEAM employees to lodge similar claims. It has urged SIPTU to refer the issue to the TEAM "ombudsman", Mr Kieran McGovern, rather than ballot for strike action.

Management also says general operatives received a £15 a week increase when they agreed to a shared work zone with craftworkers. Under this arrangement general operatives are trained to do jobs normally performed by craftworkers, while craftworkers perform some unskilled functions when required.

However, SIPTU operatives say "upskilling" programmes have been blocked by craftworkers.

AEEU official Mr Michael Brennan denies that craftworkers are regressive. He said yesterday that the craft unions have agreed to SIPTU general operatives becoming apprentices. "Craft unions have conceded a lot already to the company and received no thanks for it," he added.

He accused the company of trying to undermine the role of shop stewards and said the AEEU had met the chairman of the parliamentary Labour party and other Labour TDs last week, to voice its concerns.

The AEEU is seeking the reconvening of the ICTU group of unions within TEAM to raise these and other issues with the company.

The unions are considering their attitude towards an offer by TEAM to pay the last 2.5 per cent increase due under the PCW.