Questions are answered by reporter Joe Humphreys
A strike at Aer Lingus: haven't we heard this before?
All too often. Cabin crew took one-day strike action early last year over a pay claim. Significantly, however, this is the first strike since the airline announced its rescue plan last October.
Who is the dispute with?
The pilots. The company has 537 of them, 86 of whom are due to leave under agreed redundancy proposals. The vast majority of pilots are represented by IMPACT.
Weren't they threatening strike action earlier this year?
Yes. That dispute related to the redundancy issue, which has since been resolved following the intervention of the Labour Relations Commission.
So what's this dispute about?
Proposed changes in pilots' working conditions. Essentially, the company is trying to get the pilots work longer hours for the same pay.
Are Aer Lingus pilots underworked?
Hard to say. The company claimed its captains averaged 491 flight hours last year and its first officers 466. However, the pilots say these figures are distorted as the averages are brought down by reserve flight crew, who might only fly 30-40 hours a year.
Some pilots say they put in more than 70 flight hours a month, which pushes them close to the legal limit of 900 flight hours a year.
Such figures relate only to the time pilots spend in the air. Their duty hours, which include time spent checking through airports, are much longer. IMPACT claims if the proposals go through unchanged some pilots will be working a 77-hour week.
How did the proposals on work practice changes emerge?
Both sides agreed to a formula for advancing the issue, which involved independent consultant Mr John Russell, a former head of human resources at An Post. He put forward a 60-page package of measures, which was accepted by the company but rejected by IMPACT pilots by a majority of 99 per cent.
What was their problem with them?
The pilots felt the proposals would result in a flight roster based on what they called "legal minimum standards". In other words, they felt the company was pushing them right to the edge of what was allowed under both working conditions and aviation law.
Does that mean safety would be compromised?
The pilots say so. They have highlighted one aspect of the proposals, namely a plan to reduce the pilot rest-time between duties from 12 hours to 10 hours. This, they say, will increase the risk of pilot fatigue, a proven cause of air accidents.
What does the company say to that?
It says the issue is bogus, and that there are no safety implications to the proposals. It says the pilots are dragging their heels on change which has been agreed to by everyone else working in the company.
What precipitated the strike?
A one-day strike action today was called by the union after the company suspended a pilot for refusing to operate the new roster. Since then, six more pilots have been suspended.
If it's a one-day strike action how come tomorrow's and Saturday's flights have been cancelled?
Aer Lingus says it will be unable to mount operations on those days because of the disruption caused by today's strike.
The company also says it will only restart operations when the threat of further strike action is lifted. IMPACT describes these reasons as bogus.
It points out that it hasn't voted on any further strike action. It also notes the company managed to resume operations directly after previous strikes.
How much are pilots paid?
Annual salaries range from a low, among co-pilots, of €32,000 to a high, among captains, of €120,000.
Is there any sign of third-party intervention?
Not as yet. IMPACT has invited the company to resume talks. But the company has said the time for talking is over, and it cannot make what it regards as an exception for the pilots.
How much will this cost the company?
Aer Lingus estimates that it will lose €2 million for each day it does not operate. At the same time it claims that unless the pilots back down and return to work under the new roster, its survival plan cannot be implemented, and the airline will collapse.