TALKS AIMED at resolving the dispute at Aer Lingus were adjourned without agreement last night. The Labour Relations Commission is expected to contact both parties today, but it is understood no progress was made.
Some 280 members of cabin crew at Aer Lingus have now been taken off the payroll for refusing to operate new rosters, which were introduced unilaterally by the company.
The dispute has continued to cause disruption to flights with from 10 and 12 flights expected to be cancelled today and tomorrow.
Fourteen Aer Lingus services were cancelled yesterday as a result of the dispute between management and cabin crew, now under way for nearly a fortnight.
In talks last night, airline management and representatives from the cabin crew and their union Impact set out their positions to Kevin Foley, director of conciliation at the Labour Relations Commission.
Mr Foley then began discussions with each party separately to ascertain what common ground could be found.
The chief executive of the Labour Relations Commission Kieran Mulvey, who last summer was involved in a lengthy arbitration process in relation to cabin crew rosters, was to be asked to provide clarifications on points of concerns raised by the parties over the weekend.
His report was expected to be considered as “final and binding”. A source last night said the LRC would be contacting both parties today but it was not known if there would be further talks.
“After five hours of talks there was no meeting of minds,” the source said.
The dispute was triggered when management attempted to introduce new rosters almost two weeks ago.
It maintained the rosters were essential to allow for the delivery of increased flying hours for cabin crew to bring them up to 850 hours annually as part of an overall cost-saving plan at the airline, known as “Greenfield”.
Cabin crew had argued the new rosters were unduly onerous and were not “family-friendly”. Yesterday’s talks began after an initiative by Ibec and Ictu brought both parties into discussions.
In a joint statement issued after meeting with Aer Lingus and Impact yesterday morning, Ictu general secretary David Begg and Ibec director of industrial relations Brendan McGinty said it was clear both sides recognised that an early resolution of the dispute was necessary to ensure the full delivery of the increased flying hours agreed under Greenfield.
They recommended the parties immediately re-engage with the LRC with the specific purpose of refining the contentious issues arising from the new rosters.