A ROW over rosters for cabin crew could lead to disruption of Aer Lingus flight services from next week.
The airline warned yesterday that cabin crew staff faced being suspended if they did not implement new roster arrangements and associated rules to be introduced from Monday.
The trade union Impact, which represents cabin crew, said if its members were removed from the payroll there would be disruption.
The company said the new rosters had been developed in line with international best practice to achieve an increase in flying hours for cabin crew to 850 per year, as set out in the reform plan known as Greenfield, which was agreed last year. The airline said Impact had “consistently and resolutely delayed, obstructed and frustrated the implementation of the necessary rosters”.
Since last October cabin crew staff have been engaged in a limited, but gradually increasing, campaign of industrial action. This has, so far, not led to flight disruptions, although the airline said yesterday it had put significant pressure on its operations.
Impact said that while cabin crew at the airline had accepted the requirement to increase flying hours to 850 per year, they had not voted to accept the roster changes that management had imposed last summer and those which it was attempting to impose from next week.
It is understood there was an inconclusive outcome to contacts at the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) yesterday. Some informed sources suggested it was unlikely there would be further intervention by the LRC or the Labour Court over the weekend.
Aer Lingus said last night it would “no longer tolerate circumstances in which cabin crew will not work their contracted hours/rosters”. An Aer Lingus spokesman said staff who persistently refused to operate the new rosters would be sent home and removed from the payroll.
He said the company had contingency plans in place in the eventuality of operational disruption. In the event of anticipated disruption, the airline would contact customers immediately and set out their options.
In a letter to Aer Lingus management, Impact national secretary Matt Staunton said: “You are well aware that Impact’s industrial action campaign, which has produced little or no disruption to passengers whatsoever, is legitimate and legal under the industrial relations legislation. It will remain in place until this dispute is resolved to our members’ satisfaction.
“Unlike your threat of removing staff from duties, nothing in the ongoing and low-level Impact industrial action will have the effect of disrupting flights.”