Aer Lingus has announced that it no longer plans to cancel further flights next week after its pilots ended their industrial action late yesterday, pending a vote on a 17.75% pay increase offer.
However, the airline stated that the flights it had cancelled on Monday, July 15 and Tuesday, July 16 will remain so as that cannot be reversed.
“Aer Lingus pilots have returned to full working arrangements today after IALPA ceased industrial action while a ballot of members is pending,” the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) wrote on X this morning.
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, James Lawless, today said that he welcomed the decision to end the work-to-rule industrial action, adding that it was “deeply unfortunate that so many thousands of people had their travel plans disrupted or outright cancelled during this dispute”.
“I hope that this announcement now provides some reassurance to those with future travel plans,” the minister said.
IALPA President Captain Mark Tighe described the recommendation proposed by the Labour Court, which includes a 17.75% pay increase for pilots over a four-year period, as a “significant win” for the union.
“It’s not quite the inflation that we were discussing but we are looking at two years from now and pilots will be 19.2% better off than they were, which is some ways towards inflation,” Captain Tighe said.
IALPA’s decision to end their work-to-rule means that over time, out of hours working and roster changes are back on the table for the airlines pilots.
The pilots previous refusal of the measures forced Aer Lingus to cancel 573 flights from the point at which the industrial action began on June 26, up to next Tuesday.
IALPA agreed to back the Labour Court proposal, with the association planning to put it to a ballot of members that will begin on Thursday July 18 and close Tuesday July 23.