Dispute centres on rosters with more flying hours

ANALYSIS: Aer Lingus wants cabin crew to work longer hours – but agreeing this has proved difficult

THE CURRENT dispute at Aer Lingus – which has caused disruption for several thousand passengers over recent days – centres on the rosters that should apply for cabin crew to deliver the increased flying hours required under the airline’s cost-saving plan.

Under the terms of this agreement, known as Greenfield, flying hours for cabin crew – the time spent actually in the air, as distinct from their total working time – should be increased from just under 800 hours a year to 850 hours a year.

The process of drawing up agreed rosters which would give effect to these increased hours has proved to be hugely difficult; an engagement between the company and the Impact trade union on this issue finally broke down several weeks ago.

Since last October, cabin crew, represented by Impact, have been engaged in a limited, but escalating, campaign of industrial action on the roster issue. Until now, this action had not caused flight disruption.

Last Monday, the company moved to unilaterally introduce new rosters and associated rules for cabin crew. It maintains these are necessary to achieve the requirement to fly 850 hours a year.

The move comes against a background of strained industrial relations between management and cabin crew for some time. The decision by cabin crew to back the Greenfield plan only came about after a second vote and in the wake of a threat by the company to sack them.

Impact has contended that the new rosters are excessively onerous. The union has also argued a number of aspects of the new cabin crew rosters are in contravention of the Greenfield Agreement.

Specifically, it has maintained the new rosters mean:

Cabin crew can work shifts of up to 11 hours with no meal break. New “doubles” – flying to destinations on twice a day – could mean a working day of 11 hours or more.

Duty hours can be changed by three hours on the day of duty.

Duties can be changed by up to four hours on the day before a rostered shift.

The right to request one weekend off duty every eight weeks is abolished.

Minimum of eight rostered days off a month is reduced to seven.

Cabin crew can be sent to work away from base for 26 days at a stretch.

Rest periods on transatlantic flights are halved from 24 to 12 hours.

An Aer Lingus spokesman rejected the union’s claim in relation to meal breaks.

He said nobody in Aer Lingus was expected to work for 11 hours without a meal break. He said such a situation would not be allowed and would be unsafe.

Aer Lingus maintained that Impact was seeking the right to call meal breaks for the entire cabin crew at the same time, which would impede the efficient operation of the schedule.

The company said its cabin crew in Belfast and Gatwick had been working arrangements as now introduced in Dublin for some time without any difficulties.

Aer Lingus also maintained its new rosters were in line with those in operation throughout the aviation industry.