Aer Lingus new contracts
Hello all,
Just wondering if any AL flight crew can tell me what changes, if any, are to be made to pilots' terms and conditions?
Thanks in advance....
From the Irish Times, unknown source.
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Aer Lingus to hire 300 pilots and cabin crew
17/2/2007
Aer Lingus is planning to recruit more than 300
pilots and cabin crew this year to enable it expand its long-haul
services and open its first base outside the Republic.
All of the staff are being issued with new contracts, which are
the subject of a dispute with Siptu and other trade unions involved
with the airline.
The new contracts would mean staff would have reduced holiday
entitlements, while allowances and working hours would also be
altered.
Entry-level pay for cabin crew is €22,500, rising to about
€30,000 when allowances are added. About 14 cabin crew are
graduating from training each week.
The new staff are needed for Aer Lingus to expand its long-haul
services. The carrier will take delivery of two new A330 aircraft
for use on these routes in May and June. Aer Lingus is hoping that
a new open skies bilateral agreement between the European Union and
the United States will have been agreed by then to allow it open
new transatlantic routes.
If those talks fail, the airline will expand its services on
existing routes to New York, Boston, Los Angeles and Dubai.
Aer Lingus is also expected to establish a base in the UK to
provide flights between British airports and to continental Europe
from next January. It will take delivery of two A320 aircraft in
December for these services.
The move will increase Aer Lingus' staff numbers by about 8.6
per cent from its current level of about 3,500.
It already has about 1,000 cabin crew, the majority of whom are
represented by Impact, which also acts for its pilots.
Impact, which represents about 1,400 staff at Aer Lingus, is
currently in talks with the airline over the introduction of the
new contracts under the auspices of the Labour Relations Commission
(LRC).
Siptu, which acts for 1,800 Aer Lingus workers, and craft unions
this week issued the company with notice of their intention to take
industrial action by the end of February.
Aer Lingus introduced the new contracts for staff joining from
February 1st. It plans to issue the contracts to existing employees
on March 1st. It is understood that the airline will make renewed
efforts to resume talks with Siptu next week, possibly under the
umbrella of the LRC.
Siptu has so far refused to enter talks until the company
suspends plans to introduce the contracts.
"The ball is in their court; there's no more we can do," said
Michael Halpenny, Siptu's national industrial
secretary.