THE IRISH AIRLINE Pilots’ Association (IALPA) has voted to accept a Labour Court recommendation to increase their pay by 17.75%.
Aer Lingus pilots voted by 85% to accept the Labour Court recommendation, with a turnout of 96%.
Pilots who are members of the union had been working-to-rule since 26 June after negotiations over a pay increase with the airline reached an impasse. The industrial action resulted in the cancellation of over 600 Aer Lingus flights.
The Labour Court intervened once IALPA threatened further industrial action would be taken.
Earlier this month, it recommended a 17.75% pay increase for pilots. After a review of the decision, Aer Lingus decided to accept the recommendation.
Days later, following a late-night meeting, IALPA recommended its members also accept the Labour Court recommendation to increase their pay by 17.75%.
The work-to-rule was suspended on 10 July and the choice was put to its members through an electronic ballot, which opened on Friday. The ballot closed at 9am this morning.
The pay deal will cover a four-year period from 1 January 2023 to the end of 2026.
IALPA said its members will see their pay increase by 19.2% by the end of 2026, with other substantive issues around rostering and allowances resolved.
In a statement, Aer Lingus said: “Aer Lingus welcomes the outcome of the ballot which has accepted the Labour Court recommendation.”
Captain Mark Tighe, President of IALPA, said it is “is the greatest pay award seen in 30 years for Aer Lingus pilots”.
“Throughout negotiations, management were seeking work practice changes to fund our pay award. However, no work practice changes were conceded in this pay dispute, nor will they be in the future,” he said.
“Companies making significant profits must ensure that their employees’ remuneration reflects the success of the company, and their salaries are protected from inflation.”
He added: “It is disappointing that Aer Lingus did not conclude an agreement with IALPA during the 22 months preceding the Labour Court recommendation. IALPA believes that the industrial action which affected our passengers was wholly avoidable.”
Speaking on RTÉ’s Today with Claire Byrne programme, Tighe said as far as IALPA is concerned, the matter has “a thick line” drawn under it.
“But it’s clear that management in Aer Lingus have destroyed their relationship with their pilots, and it remains to be seen whether they have it within them to improve that and build it new again,” he said.
“Anything that they do to that effort will be greatly received, but it must be real, meaningful, demonstrable and not just empty words.”
Tighe said there were no work practices to finance the increase in pay. He said an agreement where work practices were leased to pilots to be paid for on a year-by-year basis has stopped.
“It is simply unpalatable that a debt be placed on the pilots for something like that,” he said.
Tighe estimated that the pay deal would cost Aer Lingus under €30 million per year.
He also said he “absolutely did not want our passengers to be affected” in relation to flights having to be cancelled during the work to rule.
“I’ve been wholeheartedly saying that over and over again, and I mean it from the heart.
It’s a ridiculous that management have actually gone to this length to do a deal that could have been done a year-and-a-half ago.
The Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has welcomed the news, with CEO Clare Dunne deeming it “a good day for the travelling public”.
“This is a very positive development for intending travellers and the tourism sector,” she said.
“The ITAA have consistently stated that compromise and engagement between IAPLA and Aer Lingus was the way only forward and best for every stakeholder involved, most importantly the customer.”
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