Aer Lingus pilots and cabin crew reported for work at Dublin Airport yesterday morning despite the airline's announcement earlier this week that the fleet would be grounded.
Neither side in the dispute was willing to comment on the shut-down yesterday while talks continued under the auspices of the National Implementation Body (NIB).
However, in a show of defiance, hundreds of Aer Lingus pilots, who are represented by the trade union IMPACT, held a march in uniform around the grounds of Dublin Airport, and past the airline's headquarters. Many carried placards with the slogan: "Reporting for work."
At the end of the march, a number of pilots made their way to the offices of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association, a little distance away from the airport terminal, at a quieter side of the campus.
There they crowded into the small offices or stayed outside in the warm weather, chatting in groups. Others went out onto the roadway, talking on their mobile phones, trying to glean information about the latest developments.
The pilots had previously said there was no reason why Aer Lingus could not fly yesterday, nor over the rest of the weekend. They accused the company of instigating a "lock-out" by suspending their pay from midnight on Wednesday, and refusing to return pilots to the payroll until they agreed to new working arrangements.
The suspension of a pilot for refusing to work the new roster prompted Thursday's one-day strike.
Rejected claims of a "lock-out", the company argued earlier this week that the "ongoing threat of industrial action", combined with the knock-on effects of the strike, necessitated the grounding of all flights.
Representatives from both sides in the dispute said their refusal to comment yesterday followed a request from the NIB for a news blackout.
The NIB was set under the latest national pay agreement, to police its implementation. The body comprises representatives from the unions, employers and the Government.