AER LINGUS has warned cabin crew it “has the means to deal with every outcome” arising from their decision to ballot for industrial action over the implementation of a controversial cost-saving plan.
In a statement yesterday, the company said the move by trade union Impact to ballot for industrial action was “deeply regrettable”. The airline’s comments were viewed in some industrial relations circles yesterday as a signal that it could view a vote in favour of industrial action as a rejection of the overall €97 million cost-saving programme.
Earlier this year the company said it would make all 1,200 cabin crew compulsorily redundant and re-employ most on inferior terms after they voted initially against the cost-saving plan.
The company said there would be no disruption to travel plans of passengers arising out of the cabin crew ballot on industrial action.
Yesterday, Impact official Christina Carney said if the ballot was passed, cabin crew would work to their contract but that there would not be an all-out strike.
The row between cabin crew and management centres on how the cost-saving plan would be implemented, and its effects on staff rosters. Under the plan, which cabin crew approved months ago after initially rejecting it, “flight time” was to be increased to 850 hours per year. Flight time is effectively the period from when an aircraft begins to move from the terminal to when it comes to a stop after landing.
This time, however, is only a sub-set of the overall duty hours of cabin crew, which also covers time spent checking in, participating in briefings and security arrangements, for example.
The union has maintained that while it has agreed to increases in flight time, the company has unilaterally increased overall duty hours and changed employment terms.
Ms Carney said the company had increased duty hours by 36 hours per month, taken away meal breaks and reduced rest time.
Sources close to the company have argued the new arrangements form part of changes needed to bring about the increase in flight time.
Aer Lingus said: “It is deeply regrettable that four months after reaching an agreement following five months of talks and two separate ballots, Impact cabin crew have deliberately chosen the eve of the August bank holiday to threaten our customers with a ballot for industrial action.”
It said Aer Lingus was “a company on the verge of profitability, having achieved groundbreaking agreements with all staff in the airline on fundamental and necessary changes”.
“These changes encompass reductions in pay, redundancies and increases in productivity. Impact cabin crew initially voted 64 per cent against these changes, and subsequently voted overwhelmingly in favour of change by 93 per cent. While we are at a loss to understand why another ballot is necessary, we strongly urge a 100 per cent turnout for it. We will even go so far as to allow this ballot to be held on paid company time. It is high time that we, our stakeholders, shareholders and the Irish travelling public get clarity once and for all on what this group of staff actually want. We believe our customers deserve nothing less.”
The airline said it had the highest respect for every process of negotiation, engagement and arbitration but that “we now must move forward to fully implement what has been agreed by over 75 per cent of Aer Lingus staff”.