BANK - Holiday air travellers could face delays because of a decision by shop stewards representing 2,000 SIPTU manual and clerical staff in Aer Lingus to hold information meetings for members on the cabin crew dispute. The decision follows the issuing of protective notice to 4,500 core employees yesterday.
Nearly 800 cabin crew members of the union are to begin a work to rule on Tuesday because Aer Lingus has agreed to the deployment of Delta Airlines staff on the Dublin New York route. The company has warned that cabin crew could face suspensions.
However, confrontation could come sooner as a result of yesterday's meeting of shop stewards representing loaders, check in staff and other employees providing essential support services for the travelling public.
After hearing a report by SIPTU officials on the cabin crew dispute, the stewards decided to call information meetings over the weekend, which could cause serious disruption of Aer Lingus operations.
Union sources would not elaborate on what arrangements were being made for the meetings. However, they did not rule out the possibility that staff might be asked to stop work to attend.
If this happens, the company is almost certain to regard the meetings as a form of unofficial action and seek to discipline the employees concerned. Earlier this month 80 employees in TEAM Aer Lingus were disciplined for attending a union meeting in working hours and one shop steward was dismissed.
A SIPTU official, Mr Des Hughes, said yesterday that shop stewards were "profoundly angry the company's decision to issue notices. They now feel is has embroiled them in this dispute. We will be consulting members over the weekend to clarify the situation," he said.
Mr Hughes added that issuing protective notices "aggravates an already difficult situation". He said he had written to Aer Lingus urging the company not to do so. Protective notice means that, from June 7th onwards, the company can lay off staff on a day to a day basis without pay.
Ironically, Aer Lingus had planned to recruit up to 70 extra ground staff but has now deferred a decision because of the uncertain industrial situation. It has called on SIPTU to reconsider its work to rule and says that the only threat to jobs comes from the threat of industrial action.
It also says that the suggestion by the union that it wanted to reduce the staffing levels for SIPTU cabin crew on the 330 Airbus from 11 to seven was without foundation.
"The only requirement in the Delta agreement is for one cabin crew member on one flight to be from Delta," the Aer Lingus corporate affairs director, Mr Dan Loughrey, said. The company remained available at all times for talks, he added.
However, there seems little prospect of talks at the moment. The reaction of clerical and manual staff to the receipt of protective notice seems to have taken the company by surprise. It will be watching closely the level of support shown for cabin crew over the weekend.
The dispute involving flight EI 104/105 from Dublin to New York and back has to be seen in the context of a number of other major industrial disputes in the Aer Lingus group. The most important is over a new pay claim. Ideally, SIPTU would probably prefer to take a stand on one of these wider issues that affect more members directly.
At stake in the cabin crew dispute is the staffing level on the EI 104/105. Delta has block booked 40 seats on each flight and, in return, it wants a Delta employee on board to serve its passengers. Aer Lingus wants to reduce its own crew of 11 to 10.
The Labour Relations Commission recommended that Aer Lingus staffing remain 11 and that the Delta "flag carrier" operate for a three month trial period. The Delta employee has been on the route since May 1st, but SIPTU cabin crew members rejected the LRC formula by a margin of two to one.
Having 12 cabin crew also means that all staff seats are filled. With 11 crew there is a free concession seat for staff or family members. Cabin crew have indicated that if the Delta employee was put in a passenger seat the issue could be looked at again.