Labour Court to make recommendation in Aer Lingus dispute

The Irish Labour Court is expected to issue a formal recommendation in a bid to end the Aer Lingus pilots’ pay dispute later on Wednesday.

The dispute has so far led to almost 400 flight cancellations and has disrupted the travel plans of tens of thousands of passengers.

Pilots initially demanded a 24% pay rise, arguing their pay has not kept up with high inflation levels since their last pay increase in 2019.

However, Aer Lingus is reportedly seeking changes to the pilots’ working conditions before it will agree to any pay rise above 12.25%.

The Labour Court is an independent organisation which provides mediation in workplace disputes, assisting employers, unions and workers to reach resolutions.

It is a “court of last resort” meaning its services can only be sought if parties to disputes have exhausted all other options first.

The Labour Court hears both sides of an industrial relations disputes in a tribunal setting which takes place in private.

It then issues a written recommendation setting out the court’s opinion on how the dispute should be resolved.

The pilots, who are represented by the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) are staging an indefinite work-to-rule protest which began on 26 June.

It means they are not working overtime or carrying out any other out-of-hours duties.

In addition, hundreds of pilots went on an eight-hour strike on Saturday which affected 17,000 passengers on the day.

After talks facilitated by the Labour Court failed last week, they threatened to ramp up their industrial action.

However, the court has requested that there is no escalation and pilots are considering that request in light of the latest negotiations.