Latest update. Impact has written to the LC asking it to clarify if Belfast was included as a foreign base when it made it's recommendation! Surely any reasonable person would classify Belfast as a Foreign base...
Last Updated: 27/08/2007 18:36
Impact queries status of Aer Lingus Belfast base
There is speculation this evening that Aer Lingus cabin crew may join pilots in the dispute with management over the establishment of a new base in Belfast.
This follows confirmation from Impact, which represents pilots and cabin crew, that it has written to the Labour Court querying whether its recommendation on "foreign bases" was meant to include Belfast.
The recommendations, issued last February, said that management should be allowed to recruit staff in foreign bases at local pay rates.
But Impact today published details of a letter of enquiry sent to the Labour Court on August 21st which sought clarification on whether its recommendation on foreign bases was intended to include Belfast.
The union also asked whether the Labour Court understood that the opening of any new base would be at the expense of staff at existing base.
The Court has written to Aer Lingus asking for its observations in relation to Impact's enquiry and has promised to reply to the union's letter once it has received the airline's response.
The move has fuelled speculation that Aer Lingus cabin crew may join pilots in their opposition to management's plan to hire pilots for Belfast on inferior terms to Dublin-based pilots.
Meanwhile management and union representatives were back before the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) today for talks over the airline's new Belfast base.
Discussions on the row, which had threatened to ground the airline's fleet for two days last week affecting around 40,000 passengers, were adjourned at the LRC last Wednesday afternoon.
The dispute centres on whether the Irish Airline Pilots' Association and Impact should have a role in negotiating the pay and conditions for pilots recruited at the new Northern Ireland base.
The union claimed pilots recruited in Belfast would be on worse terms and conditions than those that apply in the Republic.
But the airline insisted pilots would get higher salaries at the early part of the pay scale, although they would not be allowed participate in the defined benefit pension scheme.
Aer Lingus said unions could not be involved in talks on bases outside the Republic.
The pilots' union said last week they were optimistic a solution could be found to resolve the disagreement. Further talks are also scheduled for Thursday and Friday.