Aer Lingus has insisted a work-to-rule by some cabin crew at the airline will not delay flights.
Cabin crew who are members of the IMPACT trade union have today begun a work-to-rule in protest at what they say is the company's refusal to pay a 4 per cent pay increase due under the last partnership agreement.
Crew members represented by SIPTU are not involved in the dispute.
The airline is disputing IMPACT's claims, saying the pay award is tied to improvements in productivity, specifically in relation to faster turnaround times for flights.
IMPACT said the work-to-rule will make it impossible for Aer Lingus to make up time when flights are delayed coming into Dublin airport. However, the airline said today there were no delays due to the dispute and that the work-to-rule was being factored into cabin crew rosters.
The union said the crew members had delivered productivity improvements amid substantial job losses at the airline and had endured a long-standing pay freeze, which had saved the company millions.
IMPACT official Ms Christina Carney said: "We have shown our loyalty and commitment to Aer Lingus. . . . Now that they are preparing to announce record profits, it's time mean-minded management showed the same loyalty and commitment to its staff."
A spokeswoman for Aer Lingus said the dispute centred on the non-acceptance by IMPACT cabin crew of the need for change within the organisation. She said that at the core of the changes was the need to introduce measures that would enable faster turnaround times to make the airline more efficient.
The IMPACT cabin crew members had rejected two recommendations by the Labour Court over work practices and the commission they had sought on sales if the airline introduced a pay bar system on board flights, she said.
"There are no disruptions today [to flights] and we don't anticipate any," she said.