Aer Lingus dispute talks adjourned until later this week

Negotiations aimed at averting industrial action over airline’s plans to close cabin crew base at Shannon

Aer Lingus originally planned to expand the Shannon base to facilitate an increase in its transatlantic services.  File Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times
Aer Lingus originally planned to expand the Shannon base to facilitate an increase in its transatlantic services. File Photograph: Alan Betson/The Irish Times

Talks between Aer Lingus and the trade union Impact will resume on Thursday after being adjourned last night.

The ongoing negotiations are aimed at averting potential industrial action over plans by the airline to close its cabin crew base at Shannon Airport.

Cabin crew at the airline last week voted in favour of taking industrial action, up to and including strike action, in protest at the planned closure and over roster arrangements.

The Labour Relations Commission intervened in the dispute last week and talks were held on Friday and Saturday.

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Transatlantic traffic

Aer Lingus has said that it had originally planned to expand the Shannon base to facilitate an increase in its transatlantic services.

Initially, the airline had wanted to use its own cabin crew to work on leased aircraft which would be operating the new services.

However, it said it could not reach agreement with Impact on the staffing levels for cabin crew to apply on the leased aircraft operating the new services.

The airline later said it would effectively outsource cabin crew arrangements for the new trans-Atlantic services to operate from Shannon, some of which are due to commence in January.

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard

Mark Hilliard is a reporter with The Irish Times