Aer Lingus pilots have voted by 277 to five for industrial action in pursuit of a dispute over annual leave and millennium pay. However, it is understood their union IMPACT is more likely to instruct members to take outstanding leave days rather than strike if peace talks fail.
Such action could still cause delays over Christmas and the new year. Yesterday a company spokesman said that Aer Lingus was available for immediate talks. The divisional executive of IMPACT is expected to ask for talks when it meets this morning to consider the outcome of the ballot.
IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Mr Matt Staunton, said that he was confident the millennium pay issue could be sorted out, but that the company had repeatedly failed to address pilots' concerns over understaffing. This meant that members could not even take their statutory leave.
There was also concern about company plans to lease one of its aircraft to Ryan International, a US-based company, and use American pilots when the aircraft returned to normal duties.
The company had been told that it could not do this under the terms of the SCOPE agreement, made to protect pilots' employment when Aer Lingus entered a strategic alliance, but "the company walked away from the table" rather than discuss the issue.
Mr Staunton said reports that pilots were seeking immediate pay parity with British Airways and American Airlines, partners of Aer Lingus in One World Alliance, were incorrect. IMPACT would not be seeking a pay review on this basis before next year.
The president of the Irish Airline Pilots' Association branch of IMPACT, Mr Steve Scully, said that because of inadequate staffing levels, pilots had had to sell 10 of their annual leave days last year, plus outstanding days off. They did not want to do this again.