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AER LINGUS HAS accused cabin crew staff of seeking 32 extra paid days off as they prepare to strike.
Cabin crew in the IMPACT trade union will strike on 30 May in a row over rostering.
A spokesperson for IMPACT trade union said the cabin crew were taking the action because the company had failed to engage on the rostering issue for so long.
However, the airline has hit back tonight, saying that the proposed “5:3″ roster plan would be unworkable.
“Aer Lingus cabin crew enjoy very favourable conditions of employment in the airline sector, and this extends to the rosters they work,” the company said in a statement this evening.
“Aer Lingus cabin crew already have between 26 and 31 days annual leave, but the IMPACT Union is seeking the equivalent of an additional 32 paid days off for cabin crew, which is clearly unacceptable.
“Aer Lingus believes the issues should be dealt with through the normal negotiation process, which is already underway within the company, making the threat of strike action pre-emptive, unwarranted and an extremely unfair imposition on the travelling public, the tourism industry, exporters and business travellers.”
Aer Lingus say that claims of 60 hour weeks and 16-hour days “bear no resemblance to actual rosters”.
“A detailed analysis of actual Aer Lingus rosters over the last 12 months shows that the average working week for cabin crew was 30 hours, and that the incidence of staff working greater than 50 hours in a seven day period was less than 0.5%.
“In relation to 16 hour days, our analysis shows that the longest planned working day in the roster is 13 hours, involving flying Dublin to San Francisco.”
They called on IMPACT to call off the strike, which is set to disrupt a large number of passengers over the June Bank Holiday weekend.
Customers who are due to fly on the 30 May are encouraged to log on to the Aer Lingus website for more details.
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War about 0.5% of cabin crew doing more than 50 hrs/w yet we still tolerate our junior doctors doing 100+ as a matter of course, is it any wonder they’re leaving in droves?
Go ahead and strike. Do you feel yourself kicking your own rump❓
I have always stood up for Aer Lingus but your repeated threats of strike in the past has alienated me. Michael O’Leary must be laughing all the way to the bank.
How hard can it be to replace these pampered Cabin Crew?
I can’t believe they think their rosters should match that of a pilot who has spent hundreds of thousands training themselves, while they have learned to pour out cups of tea. Thank god I never fly with them.
Very hard, that’s what unions are for, protecting workers rights. I think most decent people wouldn’t like the idea of workers being dispensed with at a whim as you suggest. Could be you or a family member next.
That’s where they lost me too. I’d usually be prepared to listen to a worker’s grievance but equating cabin crew with pilots is absolutely mad.
Stephen read my comment again. Where did I suggest that they should be sacked dufus?
@John S – I wasn’t responding to you.
Pilots are fairly pampered as well. Last generation of this. Time to split AL. Sell long haul to FR and auction short haul to highest bidder.
Pilots are governed by conditions laid down on a worldwide basis in terms of hours worked. Not even Ryanair can get around that.
And who would be selling Aer Lingus or breaking it up? It’s not owned by the state.
If the state sells its 25% ??? Who knows what would happen. Dynamics would change.
Pilots are pampered by regulation unfortunately.
You are incorrect. Unlike Ryanair pilots who must qualify and pay for themselves, Aer Lingus pilots are trained by Aer Lingus directly unless of course they have completed their hours and training with another airline and take up Aer Lingus employment.
The Aer Lingus Spin Doctors are fueling this plane to see
I don’t mean to sound harsh but they signed up for this job. They knew what to expect. They weren’t forced into this career, they chose it!
Let them go and work for Ryanair and see how well treated they are. Holding the company to ransom
As someone who has a family member who works in Aer Lingus(not as cabin crew), the general feeling in his section is that it’s a general pain in the arse. His section is the one people ring up and bitch at when flights are cancelled, and so it’s them that are having to deal with the fallout. He’s been pulling 17 hour days trying to help passengers affected by the strike, and then dealing with e-mails when he gets home. Not everyone in the company is backing the flight crews on this.
The flight crews are striking over terms and conditions agreed to years ago; known as a legacy contract. While the times have changed, those contracts haven’t. That’s what it boils down to. So if you’re one of the people affected by the strike, just remember that the person on the other end of the line is just as pissed off about it as you.
We’ll said Trisha. Most of the commentators tonight are not thinking outside of their little boxes and looking at the bigger picture of workers in general in this country, and not just the Aer Lingus cabin crew, having their terms and conditions eroded. It’s now getting to the state if you have any sort of a decent job the begrudgers are out to slate you. It is unfortunate that passengers will again be put out but after 3 years of talks they are left with little option especially with the Aer Lingus cx once again giving them the finger. Mr O Leary will indeed welcome the extra revenue
Ill say what most people are thinking. Sack them. Theres plenty of people looking for work. If they wanna leave and try find a decent job elsewhere, then good luck to them. Who the hell do they think they are
They things they’re public sector and I suppose because of legacy issues they nearly are! I’d like to see the company play hard ball on this because if they bow to their demands this will happen every bank holiday for the foreseeable! They really do p*ss me off!
Ted, This whole me fein greedy attitude from celtic tiger time really pi##es me off. We’ve got some bad news. ..They’ll never see pay and conditions like them again. So get used to folks
True, Mueller and the shite pilots at the trough are still mile-highing the trolley dolleys for double time!!
80%of opinions on this site tend to be left wing yet 80% on here tend to NOT support the current action taken by the Cabin Crew or there Union …Somebody somewhere either in the PR dept of IMPACT or within the Union needs to start asking themselves WTF are we at .
There is only so much nostalgia out there for the green uniform !
32 extra days is astonishing, no? Most of us don’t even get what they are already entitled to.
If you believe it.
Work it out.
Do they not understand how this will all end? I always flew Aerlingus where possible and generally avoided Ryanair where I could. However, for flights I need over the coming summer I have been forced to book Ryanair due to the constant risk of strike now present with AL. If this industrial unrest continues many more will act in a similar fashion as we all have limited time off & few can afford disruption to their flights. Then rosters will be of no importance, only their signing on dates.
Do you really believe the spin that Aer Lingus management say!!!!!!
I wouldn’t mind seeing proof to back up the claims nonetheless
Yes, they stated facts.
The cabin crew pushing this deserve to lose there jobs with the disruption and harm they are causing the company.
52 working weeks in year. Seems like they have min 5 plus 9 bank holidays. So rostered for 45 weeks. Normal workers are 5 on 2 off. They want 5 on 3 off. Work it out. Not too far off the truth. And people slag off the school teachers….
This is the same company that recently awarded their chief exec a serious pay rise with significantly increased pension contributions whilst the ordinary worker in the company has taken pay cuts given increased productivity and has seen their pension fund collapse. That is some display of inspirational leadership. The cabin crew far from being sacked should be supported. The recession has been used by employers both private and public to destroy the pay and working conditions of the ordinary working person whilst executives like Richie Boucher sneer at those who would question their outrageous remuneration. You need to wake up to this .
Pension fund collapse? Talk to the scheme administrators. Topping up the pension fund is 25% out of tax payer pocket and at the same time they want to work a 9 month year.
No doubt recession is being used but the folks at Toberbunny are well lookes after.
Pay cuts, increased productivity for the workers but the chief exec gets a serious pay rise and increased pension contributions. Yet another example of the ordinary worker being pi**ed on and the chief execs like Richie Boucher gorging at the trough .
We’ll said sir
Voted by the share holders. Government tried to block it. Ryanair voted for it. Pilots union owns a stake also. AL weren’t given 5 billion like BoI; Government backed Boucher.
There is no justification for working what amounts to a almost a 4 day week over 12 months. None.
There is no justification for a chief exec accepting a pay rise irrespective of how it was sanctioned when ordinary workers in the company have made and are continuing to make significant sacrifices. That is basic leadership . If chief exec of Aer Lingus can’t grasp that then he should resign . There is no justification for paying Boucher €840,000 pa under any circumstances especially given that he was at the heart of the decision making process in BOI during the Celtic Tiger years when the disastrous policies that brought this country down were propogated and implemented. This is the same man who said that debt relief was neither practice nor policy at BOI and who sneered that if he was paid sixpence it would be too much for some people. This is the type of leadership provided by our chief execs who at the same time are demanding more and more sacrifices from ordinary workers .
Mueller turned the company around (in spite of the unions attempts to inhibit profits).
His renumeration, though high is approved by the shareholders who I’m sure are also pleased the company now makes a profit.
BoI are irrelevant here.
26 to 31 days off already. I assume petks are good – staff rates for flights a pittance of whst you and I pay; clothes; parking; generous pension contrib.
Now they want an extra month off and are prepared to screw their customers.
Look, strike threats every year….aer lingus is collapsing under the weight of unionistas and other entitled groups. unions looking to the tax payer to pump up failed pension schemes etc…… Sell the lot to RyanAir … Let the current staff apply for jobs in the new company….I imagine they would be happy with their current situation rather than life under Micky O’Leary
Sure all the do is smile, and serve Tay
It’s been quite a few years since I’ve seen one of them smile
Good on them. The workers united will never be defeated.
They were last time!
The Aer Lingus cabin crew united haven’t a f-#king leg to stand on. Extorsion merchants.
Until the workers put the company out of business and then the united workers are called social welfare recipients
Jesus get up off your knees, lads. It’s unseemly.
Ultimately the workers always will be defeated. That’s why unions should work with management, not against them.
As for others’ comments; I cannot see what rights are being eroded. The contracts are legacy and not being changed.
Greedy people led by a stupid union.
I work.60 hours a week 12 hour shifts.
I have no sympathy for them.
I’m flying with them in September not through choice but that’s the last time.
Whats the only difference between an Aeroplane and an Air stewardess??
Not everyone being up on a Aeroplane.
The poor workers should be entitled to 6 months leave.. Twice a year.
Ha ha tell them that one when yer down getting yer social next time Brian. They must love seeing you coming in with yer funnies. zzzzzzzzzzzzz
Sorry mate. Last time I was in there was something to do with my PRSI Card in 1994 when I started working part-time in Dunnes after school time. Not sure they will recognize me the next time.
The problem is its a win win situation for each and every one of these pampered cabin crew. They’re well confident that they’ll get 6-7 weeks redundancy if the company ever went under. These guys wouldn’t be working for aer lingus for 20 years plus in the job wasn’t so cushy already!
Increase the employee pension contribution to 40% of basic salary, tell Varadker to ‘get stuffed’ and give the cabin crew a bonus equivalent to their basic salary. Then the entire labour force can be as pampered as the frowning chief executive and the roster issue will fade.
Fire them all.
Get rid of unions.
Hire staff who WANT to work and not run their employer into the ground.
Approx 29 days off? People would kill for that amount of time off.
A disgrace to strike in these uncertain times.
Do the decent thing and talk.
Ye will not be too popular with the public.
What would Leslie Nielsen say? “I would like to wish you the very best of luck”
In these times when Ireland and it’s economy are getting back on track the uions should not be trying to upset the Apple tart. Aer Lingus has come back from the brink and staff getting up to 31 days as well as all there benefits should not be allowed and they should be thankful they have a job and a good job if what I read is correct.
I left Ireland to have a better life but I see the same attitude by unions and people who always want more has the country not learnt anything over the last 3 years,while do many have less.
Muller didn’t turn the company around . He and his staff turned the company around together. It was a team effort. Muller doesn’t book the tickets look after passengers or fly the planes. His staff do that. His staff, the ordinary workers took pay cuts and gave extra productivity. He through accepting a significant pay rise at a time of difficulty for his workers has thrown their sacrifices back in their faces and shown appalling leadership. He is cut from the same cloth as Boucher. How can he now demand additional sacrifices from his workers ?
Well said.
Most of the morons on here would like the workers to roll over and work for nothing so that they can get cheap flights.
Let them buzz off to O’Leary’s Ryanair and soon enough the same morons will be whinging over there too.
Don’t bite the hand that feeds you
So many begrudgers on here it’s amazing. These workers are standing up for their rights and are quite entitled to do so despite the arrogance and attempted exploitation by the Aer Lingus CEO – who is quite well paid and no attempt to erode his T’s and C’s ! – and the fascist blueshift government of Labour and FG..
If the whiners on here don’t like that then go and fly Ryanair and good riddance – ye will probably be whinging over there soon enough too.
Is this a private sector organisation? How amazingly efficient they are.
I hope this disrupts other airlines and flights and they get sued again. That was funny.
Yea, sack them, for standing up for themselves, luck to have a job and all that .. Is that the attitude we’ve come to know now.. 32 days extra annual leave!!!? Where did that come from? That was never The argument, the whole point of all
This is for a better working pattern. The 900 block hours per year, ( Flying Hours excl Duty hours) will still be achieved. They just want it in a better pattern. Let’s not forget, RYANAIR CABIN CREW ALSO WORK a 5:3 roster pattern. And now they are threatening the loss of 300 Irish jobs to Apparently facilitate this, by opening American bases and operating Transatlantic routes from the US by American cabin crew, something that would cost the company quadruple the price of actually sorting out the rosters here in Ireland. They are not asking for unrealistic requests, they want to work and they work very damn hard with long hours. One of the current roster patterns is 1 free day in 11… 60 hour weeks are being done.. A working day to San Francisco is 15 hours.. That is all fine, they carry out those hours, now they just looking for a better pattern..
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