Aer Lingus seeks five-year pay freeze from workers

Aer Lingus wants to freeze workers’ pay for five years and is proposing sharp cuts in rates paid to new cabin and ground crew. Unions and management began talks on further cuts at Aer Lingus last week as the airline continued grappling with tough Government travel curbs due to the pandemic. The company has told trade unions Siptu and Fórsa that it wants to freeze pay until 2026, cut sick pay and introduce reduced rates for new cabin- and ground-crew staff. Union sources say one of their main fears is that the company’s proposals appear to focus on staff on pre-2009 pay and conditions, who amount to around one third of the airline’s workforce. They also argue that the proposals include changes sought by Aer Lingus “when times were good” but which unions refused. A management document outlining the proposed changes to union officials calls for a pay freeze with “no cost-increasing claims” for the next five years.<br/>