Aer Lingus refused flights to some pilots in aftermath of industrial action

Aer Lingus has refused to give flights to some pilots sanctioned during their union’s recent work to rule after their union halted industrial action, it has emerged. The Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (Ialpa), part of trade union Fórsa, suspended industrial action at the carrier on Wednesday as members consider a proposed deal to boost pay by 17.75% tabled this week by the Labour Court. However, sources say the airline refused to allocate flights to some pilots sanctioned during their work to rule, despite their being available to work after the action was suspended. They say some pilots who complied with the union’s instructions, and refused to work out of hours during the industrial action, had a “failure to join” marked on their rosters, a formal sanction used by airlines where pilots do not show up for work. Those pilots told the airline they were available to work on Friday after the industrial action was suspended, but the airline told them they were still subject to the failure to join, and so the airline would not allocate them flights or put them on standby. Concerns over the airline’s use of the failure to join sanction during the industrial action were among several that Ialpa raised during the week as its executive considered recommending the Labour Court deal to end the dispute.<br/>