Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
AER LINGUS PASSENGERS could face disruption next month as SIPTU discusses strike action following the breakdown of talks last night about the €748 million deficit in the airline’s pension scheme.
The union which represents Aer Lingus employees is set to meet today to discuss possible strike action which could take place early next month.
Discussions about solutions for filling the hole in the pension scheme between unions and airline management were adjourned indefinitely by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) yesterday.
Speaking on Newstalk Breakfast this morning SIPTU spokesperson Dermot O’Loughlin said industrial action is now “inevitable” and action by workers is likely to take place in early November.
“One choice [for employees] is to roll over and lose everything they’ve saved or try and see if they can bring this company who has nearly €1 billion in cash reserves to put some realistic funds towards resolving this issue,” he said.
In a statement yesterday Aer Lingus said it was “disappointed at the lack of progress” in the Labour Relation Commission.
“Aer Lingus believes that today’s discussions have been overshadowed and hampered by an interpretation by union groups that a proposal targeting “85 per cent of final incomes” has been agreed with the DAA,” it said.
However the airline said it has been confirmed by the DAA that the proposal under discussion with union groups does not target any such pension coverage level.
Commenting on the possibility of industrial action by workers represented by SIPTU, a spokesperson for Aer Lingus told TheJournal.ie, “We don’t anticipate any disruption to the schedule but if we become aware of a disruption we will be sure to update customers.”
Aer Lingus said it remains available to resume discussions with the union groups “in order to reach a solution and believes that the LRC is the appropriate forum in which to achieve this solution”.
When contacted by TheJournal.ie, Dublin Airport Authority declined to comment on the talks or the possibility of strike action within Aer Lingus.
The DAA is still currently in talks with unions about issues surrounding the pension scheme.
Aer Lingus has previously warned that employees could receive as little as 4 per cent of their expected pension benefits if they did not accept a deal, given the size of the deficit in the pensions scheme.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
The media has a a vitally important democratic function to perform in making Trump and his current administration fully visible.
Media exposure will highlight what Trump is about.
@Johnny Leddin: only Trump worries about thumbs. It is his downfall.
@Tony Daly: like they did with clinton…right…
Exactly like Clinton. He was hounded by the media after his affair in office.
The media should be treated with contempt!
What do reporters think the new administration is playing at?…to me it seems like some sort of Bond plot where the obvious is a diversion to what is really going on…there are bigger things cooking in the background which they don’t want us to know about.
@winston smith: the focus is on Trump’s temperament at the moment and the increasing realisation that Trump is temperamentally unsuitable to be President of the US.
@Tony Daly: is that a fact or just your anti trump opinion….
Trump won because of a fawning uncritical ratings-driven media which gave him billions in free publicity.
@Were Jammin: he won because hillary took her eye of the ball and wouldn’t listen to the fears many people have in the US regarding immigration..she just called them all deplorables. That is a fact
@Were Jammin: he won because hillary took her eye of the ball and wouldn’t listen to the fears many people have in the US regarding immigration..she just called them all deplorables. That is a fact
@Were Jammin: Trump won because the media were uncritical of him – are you on drugs?
The media is ‘temperamentally unsuitable’ to cover the White House.
What’s most fascinating about this article is the constant use of “said one reporter” for even the most mundane observation. Did The Journal not get their names, or did the reporters insist on strict anonymity for reasons beyond my ken; or, more troublingly, does The Journal imagine itself a Player in DC political media who needs to keep their “sources” secret lest Trump’s team read this article?
The Media is frantically trying to do an about-face. From the time “President” nominated, they fawned over him because he gave them lots of meat and potatoes, encouraged by Murdoch, Kochs etc… Then, against all the pundits and odds, he became POTUS. 60+ days in, and the media are looking at themselves in horror, that they facilitated this Con Man get the Oval Office. Now, they’re falling over themselves to get him and his misbegotten, incompetent hangers-on out. There is enough blame to go around, so the media have now to start doing things right.
Surprised the Journal was allowed in.
You cannot hope to bribe or twist – thank God! – the average journalist…
have your say