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LAST UPDATE | 8 Jul 2024
AER LINGUS HAS accepted a recommendation by the Labour Court today to increase their pilot’s pay by 17.75%.
On 29 June, pilots who are members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IAPLA) took part in an eight-hour strike and the group have also been working-to-rule since 26 June after a lengthy pay dispute between them and Aer Lingus.
The Labour Court intervened once IAPLA threatened further industrial action would be taken last week. Today, it recommended a 17.75% pay increase for pilots.
After a review of the decision earlier this afternoon, Aer Lingus decided to accept the recommendation by the Labour Court.
The company will also consider “the longer-term implications of implementing the recommendation and of this dispute which has been enormously damaging both financially and reputationally”.
Previously, Aer Lingus said any increase over 12.25% should also include an agreement on increased productivity and flexibility in return – something the company says has been agreed with other workers at the airline.
A spokesperson for the company today said: “Aer Lingus encourages Fórsa / IALPA and pilots to accept the recommendation of the Labour Court and end their industrial action.
“We would like to thank the Labour Court for its work in issuing both its interim and final recommendations,” it added.
Members of IALPA rejected a previous Labour Court recommendation of 9.25%, as they argued that Aer Lingus pilots should receive an increase of an almost 24% in their pay.
IALPA pilots have said their desired increase was to take account of inflation since their last pay rise in 2019 and was in line with similar increases to pilots in other airlines.
The representative body also pointed to Aer Lingus’ profit growth during the period since their last pay rise as well.
The union will commence preparations for a ballot of IALPA members, the association said today. The President of IAPLA, Captain Mark Tighe, said the union will contact the Labour Court to confirm its understanding of some elements of the recommendation.
It is understood that the IALPA governing body will meet within the next 24 hours to decide on whether to put the recommendation to a ballot. If that is agreed, the ballot will be conducted electronically.
“In advance of preparations for a ballot – and during which the current work-to-rule is set to continue – the union will ensure pilots are fully apprised of the details of the Labour Court’s recommendation,” Tighe said.
“Pilots will have the opportunity to consider its terms and to carefully consider our next steps. This has been an exceptionally complex dispute, reflected in the Court’s decision last week to utilise its legislative powers to investigate the matters in dispute,” he added.
The Labour Court ‘s decision looked at previous and projected inflation rates, as detailed and researched by the Central Bank of Ireland to determine it’s recommendation of 17.75%. increase be awarded as follows:
Aer Lingus has had to cancel over 500 flights as a result of the industrial actions taken by its pilots, which has severely disrupted its operations in Ireland and in other parts of the world.
The Labour Court intervened again after IALPA warned that it will consider escalating its industrial action if no agreement is reached, a stance which it still holds.
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A good day for workers regardless of profession.Employers making huge profits need to pay up…..share the wealth around a bit….
@Joseph Tierney: The customer will foot the bill with increased fares.
@Mick Joe: it costs about the same to get from Raheny to the Airport in a cab as it does to get from Dublin Airport to Stansted. I’ll risk the price going up slightly if it means we’ve an airline that can recruit and maintain decent pilots. What we could do with though is a massive competitor run by a cunning stunt, perhaps in the ultra low cost bracket where we could make the decision on whether we want green seats or blue seats but that’s just silly I suppose…
@Mark Anthony Savage: Aer Lingus don’t fly to Stansted, you myst be thinking about an airline that has reasonable fares.
@Joseph Tierney: You obviously don’t travel much do you?.The only people this hurts is the consumer,plain and simple.How could you support spoilt brats, like these overpaid pilots, getting deals like this?. Aerlingus are not a cheap airline to fly with. Now you know why.
@Pat Barry: Very possibly to be honest. I usually do fly with our toilet charges obsessed mutual aquaiance given the only thing to choose between the two is the blue seats don’t recline and I’m tall. Just wondering if IALPA could replace FORSA at my place.
@Mark Anthony Savage: IALPA is a branch of Forsa.
@Mark Anthony Savage: I think there pay is more than enough currently . So no fear of having difficulty in recruiting pilots . Incredible what senior pilots are paid at aer Lingus .
@Gerry Lamont: you big bitter baby.
@Mick Joe: So take a pay cut, I’m sure whatever you do for work and whatever they sell could be cheaper if you don’t take a pay rise. You obviously don’t understand how shareholders works, how competition works, supply and demand. Aer Lingus is not the only airline, if they raise their prices, people just won’t fly or fly with another airline.
@Gerry Lamont: all absolute nonsense. Workers deserve a payrise that matches inflation without the expectation of any extra work. Companies (shareholders) making billions off workers is something the population should all be massively against.
Aer Lingus will need to stay competitive in the flight market so there’s no chance flights will go up. The only thing that will happen is shareholders may not earn as much. I’m delighted for the union and the workers. Well done
@Alan d: it’s incredible the responsibility they have.
@Gerry Lamont: how can you lick the boots of the managers, directors and shareholders etc… They’ve received massive pay rises. The pilots took a pay cut that hasn’t been redressed and they are massively out of pocket. It doesn’t matter what they earn.
@Gerry Lamont: Well said
A rising tide lifts all boats. Well done to the pilots putting it up to their highly profitable employer. I hope employers around the country see this as a wake up call to look after the hard workers who are making you that money. The little guy gets a slice of the pie.
@Unridden Ana: Thanks – you have just described the inflationary effect of silly wage deals. The cost of everything rises, and a 17% rise for someone on 100k is a lot more than a 17% rise for someone on 25k – who will struggle when bills rise by the same amount.
@Tony Humphreys: it’s all relative…. Ironically the person on 100Ks net increases by a much smaller percent than someone’s net on 25k with a 17% increase to gross because the government takes 52% of it…… But as we can see by all the annual reports that the ones that do well during inflation are the companies and sr. management who want to profiteer by keeping workers wages down while giving themselves big increases, which you also pay for. The worker drones deserve to keep up too and some are apparently based on the CSO average earnings difference from 2019 vs 2024. Wish I was in that bracket!…. Hopefully this labour court ruling will help others put claims in with their employers
https://www.cso.ie/en/statistics/earnings/earningsandlabourcosts/
Floodgates now open..
Labour Court will be busy.
@Sickof thisshit: And rightly so.
@Sickof thisshit: surprised they went so much higher than their original recommendation. I personally don’t begrudge the pilots but this won’t bode well for the labour court.
@Sean Parker: rest of the staff are getting ready for picket line now
@Margaret Deacon: it takes alot of time to get to a strike these days…. 22 months in the pilots case….. Well done pilots, hopefully the rest of the EI staff will get the same…… Keeping staff terms down during massive inflation to profiteer shouldn’t be accepted!!! Management have no respect for those that generate their revenues. Employees these days are seen as an expense to cut rather than assets!
@Sickof thisshit: Not if the Barristers don’t get a raise
@Louise Marie: Hold on there a second Tonto. The huge increases result in higher cost to the customer over time.
@Mick Joe: minimal. Around 3.30 eur per passenger per flight based on last year’s passenger numbers to maintain last year’s profit levels with this reccomedation…… That’s what happens with inflation, everything goes up in price, just like fuel and shopping has. Why wouldn’t flights be the same?
That’s a good day for all workers. Capitalism is rampant in this country and it took a group of higher paid workers to stand against it. FÓRSA and other trade unions now have a mandate going forward.
@Tom tom: all Trade Union leaders need to be held to account by their members now. Any recommendations that are under 12% over 3 years needs to be outright objected.
Companies making millions on the back of the ‘inflation’. The workers deserve it way more than any boss or shareholder.
So the Labour Court got it wrong the first time around? So the guidance is to reject first LC determination, is that the key message here?
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: wasn’t it WRC first time around?
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Maybe it was low for a reason! So things would escalate…. Bizarre 12.5% or so was offered by EI first, then the LC would recommend an even lower figure.
And who’s surprised by this recommendation? Pilots wanted 24% aer lingus offered 12.5% and surprise surprise the common sense thing to do was meet in the middle.. they needed the labour court for that
@Sean Mccabe: they haven’t accepted it yet
@Sean Mccabe: so pilots wanted circa 17 and jacked it up knowing it would be knocked back and they would get 100% of what they wanted.
@Mr “JonnieBoy” Johnson: Its called playing your cards right. Hope everyone in that situation would do the same, unless your a gombeen….
@Sean Mccabe: that is the art of negotiation after all. You never start on the lowest figure you’ll accept. Always go higher.
Hopefully this will break the deadlock. I will never book flights with this company again. The country has been held to ransom.
@Lubosmagicdust: See what happens next time Ryanair S#!t the bed. The best thing ti do is just have decent travel insurance and wait it out on the cheapest airline that does the route, subject to them being safe to fly with.
@Lubosmagicdust: i bet you do
Hope you all back the Nurse’s Cares and Hospital Support Staff when they take action over there wage working hours and safety issues!
@Paul Scully: if they are being taken for a ride then absolutely. The working classes need to unite together… Division only helps greedy corporate fat cats.
@M To The B: I agree, but when Nurse’s & Care Staff etc do take action, they are called ya all ye want is money, when hospital staff take action it not over money it over work hours little to no staff and health and safety issues no body listen to the staff.
Take it or leave it who would not take 17.5% in there job
What a fu
….king joke the employer biased labour court could have recomended this increase ages ago,and saved customers a lot of heart ache,this was always going to be the out come.shame on both aer lingus management and the obvious biased labour court.
But will the spoilt, entitled little pups in the pilot’s union accept it?.
@Gerry Lamont: Pups? I say fair play to them. 17% plus pay rise. Shows they were right to stick up for themselves which should serve as a template for others.
Far more than they deserve, I’d have given em f all. Never met a poor pilot.
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: so you think people deserve to have their wages stagnate year after year whilst their bosses receive bloated salaries devoid of the same stagnation? They deserve 24% and if Aer Lingus weren’t run by incompetent clowns looking to take their staff for a ride then it would never have got to this stage
@qffaffaf affrafrfraf: Don’t feed the troll
Waterford Airport 2024
@D: no future
I regret not becoming a pilot now!
where’s the ceo that’s being paid a ridiculous salary to do nothing….
Wow if only it could have been predicted weeks ago before so many customers were so badly affected, that a timelined incremental increase would emerge as the solution….oh wait….
Pilot’s holding the company to ransom. Disgusting. On top of ridiculous pension contributions which makes them millionaires, interest free loans, heavily discounted travel privileges, 500 flight hours per year. 5/3 roster.
@Éanna o Sca: are you in Aer Lingus recruitment? Cause you’ve just sold it to me! I’m jacking in my job in the morning and heading off to flight school – if you can’t beat, em join em!!
And plenty of the increase back dated… So a nice little lump sum if the pilots accept.
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