In the build-up to the bank holiday weekend Aer Lingus is expected to give details of flight cancellations and reschedulings today ahead of Friday's strike by 1,200 clerical staff.
The airline expects to be unable to accommodate at least 10 per cent of its anticipated 20,000 passengers on Friday.
There was an air of inevitability about Friday's strike, despite progress reported on talks involving cabin crew and caterers. Baggage-handlers are also considering proposals on pay.
Talks involving cabin crew representatives at the Labour Relations Commission yesterday were broadened to include cabin crew from SIPTU. So far only IMPACT has been at conciliation meetings with the LRC, as SIPTU went through the process earlier in the year.
SIPTU is now awaiting a Labour Court hearing. Both unions could end up in a joint hearing, especially as agreement on the ICTU formula to resolve the inter-union dispute on cabin crew representation was formally reached yesterday.
However, both unions are now in dispute over how many representatives they should have on the company's central review committee. IMPACT wants more places to reflect its growing membership in the company.
A more immediate problem is the growing concern by groups of SIPTU members not already engaged in talks, such as aircraft cleaners or staff based in Shannon and Cork, who fear they are being left behind in the current round. SIPTU is expected to co-ordinate talks at national level, but this will not be possible before Friday's four-hour stoppage. Informed SIPTU sources say members at Aer Lingus are increasingly feeling that if there is to be industrial action it should involve everyone in pursuit of a common pay agenda.
Friday's stoppage will last from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Aer Lingus's director of corporate affairs, Mr Dan Loughrey, said last night that passengers should not assume their flight was cancelled if it was within those hours. "Obviously we will move as many passengers and flights as we can outside those hours."
He advised people to phone the company helpline 1800 40 40 00 or check the website at www.aerlingus.ie from this afternoon on. By then details of the new schedules will be finalised.
"We will be particularly disappointed if the action goes ahead, as we are still engaged in talks," he added. But the fact that Aer Lingus is already making arrangements to cope with the four-hour stoppage is a demonstration of its near-inevitability.
Meanwhile, IMPACT pilots with Ryanair are to begin balloting immediately on industrial action in pursuit of a new pay agreement. The company has offered increases of 16 per cent over five years, increased allowances worth another 15 per cent and options on over £100,000 worth of shares to pilots.
However, the pilots have major reservations about a five-year no-strike requirement and staffing levels. IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Mr Michael Landers, said some minor concessions by the Ryanair chief executive, Mr Michael O'Leary, at a meeting with the pilots on Monday were not enough to satisfy his 220 members.
The rapid expansion of the flight and flight schedules had meant pilots were often flying up to their maximum hours. It also meant an increase in stress and sickness levels.
One of the clauses withdrawn by the company from its new agreement was that pilots would adhere to duty rosters agreed "for the period of the agreement even if they are overtaken by differing IAA [Irish Aviation Authority], JAR [Joint Airworthiness Regulations] and EU regulations".
A spokeswoman for Ryanair said IMPACT's information was incorrect, and it had not been a party to talks between the company and its pilots. "We remain confident that Ryanair pilots will approve the improved package of pay, benefits, better conditions and share options," she said.