Aer Lingus pilots reject Labour Court terms on pay deal

Aer Lingus pilots have rejected Labour Court proposals aimed at brokering an interim deal in their pay row with the airline, but both sides have indicated they are open to further talks. Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) voted over the last week on a Labour Court recommendation that they accept pay hikes totalling 9.25% and return to negotiations with management over deadlocked issues. Ialpa confirmed on Monday that 94.4% of the 98% of its members who voted rejected the proposals, a move the union’s executive recommended as it argued the proposal failed to address pilots’ key concerns. Captain Daniel Langan, Ialpa’s vice president finance, argued that the pay offer did not reflect the E225m profit that Aer Lingus made last year. “Reduced pay, terms and conditions were accepted by Aer Lingus pilots during the Covid crisis to help the company recover from the pandemic,” he said. “However, management failed to reverse these measures, which include lower pay scales for new entrants, while they report bumper profits.” Capt Langan added that new pilots at the airline earn up to 10% less than those hired before the pandemic.<br/>