10 pilot redundancies is not where it began. Aer Lingus already sacked 40 cadets that were on average 80% through their training in Oxford and Jerez.
156 pilots is the figure management initially stated as being their target. The axe is only beginning to fall. Agreements that protect pilot jobs are being ignored. To facilitate the vacuum created by sacked pilots working conditions are soon to be savaged. Management is looking to make all pilots working conditions equal to the worst of the low-cost carriers; for frozen Aer Lingus pay . And Aer Lingus pay is far below par (management apparently boasts at international seminars how low the pilot body is paid)
Those to be let go in the coming weeks all earn less than Irish punt £25k, and have less than 150 hours. They are the cheap. It is not an exaggeration to say that most will sign up for the dole. After 2 and a 1/2 years training and many leaving good careers, others foregoing university, and some recently married with mortgages, the dole is not something that was ever expected.
Never before has the pilot body been issued compulsory redundancies. Unpaid leave, temporary alternative employment, voluntary redundancy, early retirement have always been the avenues explored and utilised successfully in the past. Management has for some reason no intention of promoting or indeed in some cases even offering these deals. The offers that are on the table are an insult. Pilots have been offered a deal actively discouraging anyone to leave. Every other part of the workforce in AL has been offered equal terms; but not the pilots.
Would you put up with this?