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Aer Lingus management should clarify Labour Court recommendation

SIPTU has called on Aer Lingus management to clarify if it is prepared to accept the Labour Court Recommendation for significant improvements in pay and conditions. The Union's Aer Lingus Branch shop stewards decided to seek the clarification after management appeared to be setting preconditions on the proposals earlier today.

SIPTU’s National Industrial Secretary, Michael Halpenny said that his members could not proceed any further until they knew for certain that Aer Lingus would honour the terms.  He added that the Union had spent two years negotiating Business Plan 2004 and the Labour Court had now made important amendments to that plan. Management’s attitude needed to be clarified as a matter or urgency.

Among the improvements secured for SIPTU members under Business Plan 2004 are:

• A four per cent increase, consisting of 3.5 per cent from September 1, 2006 and 0.5 per cent from April 1, 2007. This is on top of national wage agreement increases.
• Significant improvements in long service increments and death in service benefit.
• The making permanent of almost 600 Aer Lingus employees on fixed term contracts.
• Ensuring that 85 per cent of all ground staff are permanent. To date management only committed to this ratio for pilots and cabin crew.
• Any future redundancies to be on a voluntary basis.

SIPTU Branch Organiser Christy McQuillan said the new ratio of permanent ground staff to fixed term contract staff was a major improvement and lifted the spectre of casualisation and outsourcing. “It also shows that SIPTU was right when it opposed the restructuring plan of the former chief executive, Willie Walsh, who pushed through 700 redundancies at a cost of €100 million to the airline.”  

The Union expects an early response from management to its request for clarification.