Aer Lingus Regional pilots could vote on strike action by month’s end

Aer Lingus Regional pilots could vote on a strike by the end of the month in a dispute over pay and conditions at the airline. The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA), an affiliate of trade union Fórsa, recently sought talks on pay and conditions with management at Emerald Airlines, which holds the franchise for Aer Lingus Regional. IALPA is preparing to ballot members at the carrier by the end of the month on a possible strike if the union makes no further progress in talks. It says the airline has not formally responded to requests to meet to discuss pilots’ terms. The pilots’ association’s executive approved a draft ballot paper on Thursday, while Fórsa’s services and enterprise divisional executive will discuss the issue when it meets next week. The strike vote could begin at the end of May, or possibly sooner, according to the union. IALPA told members it was in formal dispute with Emerald midway through last month after failing to get a formal response to requests to negotiate on pilots’ pay, pensions and working conditions.<br/>