AER Lingus cabin crew are seeking early retirement at 50 because of the stressful nature of their work. This is the age at which prison officers can retire.
Meanwhile the company has already agreed to increase the ceiling on the number of cabin crew who can seek a job share from 5 to 10 per cent. The concession has been made as four former cabin crew members take a case for constructive dismissal to the Employment Appeals Tribunal.
They are claiming that lack of adequate jobshare facilities meant they had to retire to look after young families. The case would not have arisen, according to SIPTU official Mr Des Hughes if the new scheme had been in place.
He is confident the 10 per cent ceiling for job shares will cater for the demand from cabin crew who are 90 per cent female. Another feature of the scheme is that cabin crew will be able to apply for annual holiday leave during the peak holiday season. A major grievance of the crews in the past has been their inability to spend time during school holidays with their children.
Early retirement for cabin crew was agreed in principle under the Cahill Plan but the question of implementation has never been agreed, partly because of the serious financial implications. However it is understood that intensive negotiations are now under way.
A spokesman for Aer Lingus said yesterday that 'progress is being made in the talks, but there is nothing definitive or concrete to report at this stage". Mr Hughes says that in the past many cabin crew left early but that health and safety were growing concerns. The job has become more stressful with staff, for instance, now having to receive training on how to restrain disruptive passengers and the use of handcuffs.
The outcome of the talks will be watched closely by nearly 80,000 general nurses and teachers, who are currently seeking retirement at 55. Both groups are also claiming their jobs have become more stressful and nurses point out that psychiatric nurses can already retire at 55.
The job share scheme could also have widespread ramifications and provide a basis for similar schemes throughout the semistate companies and public service. For every cabin crew member who opts for a job share, a permanent part time employee will be recruited. These will become full time employees after three years.
The scheme will actually save Aer Lingus money in the short term as staff taking leave will be much higher up the salary scale than the new part time employees. However, it is based on the assumption that business will continue to expand and extra crew will be needed.