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Aer Lingus services resume after cabin crew strike

The airline was forced to ground almost all its flights yesterday, at an estimated cost of €10m, over a work schedule dispute.

AER LINGUS SERVICES have resumed today following a 24-hour strike by cabin crew in response to a dispute over work schedules.

The airline was forced to ground almost all its flights yesterday, at an estimated cost of €10m, as several hundred cabin crew protested at Dublin Airport.

The dispute, according to a letter from the crew represented by IMPACT and which was released to media, revolves around a new roster which does not allow staff to plan their rest time. The staff claim that “stable roster patterns like the one we’ve proposed are already in use in other airlines”.

Talks aimed at finding a solution to the dispute have been arranged for next Wednesday.

Read:  Most Aer Lingus flights cancelled today as cabin crew strike

Read:  Ryanair boss O’Leary criticises Aer Lingus cabin crew and board

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38 Comments
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    Mute David Keogh
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    May 31st 2014, 9:25 AM

    Theres no reason why they should be entitled to 5 days on, 3 days off! The rest of us work 5 on, 2 off.

    One of them spoke on the radio yesterday saying that the cabin pressure takes more out of their bodies, so they should have more time off to recover..This comes from people who chose this career, knowing that they would be flying in a pressurized cabin!

    If they dont like the job they chose then find another one. If I told me employer I want an extra day off I know what I would be told!

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    Mute Ailís McKernan
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    May 31st 2014, 9:32 AM

    But it’s not like they work 9-5! Don’t they cram on average 60 hours into those 5 days! You’d be shattered whether you were in a pressurised cabin or not

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    Mute David Keogh
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    May 31st 2014, 9:35 AM

    But again, they chose the job, accepting what their contract was! Nobody makes them do it.

    Theres plenty of people unhappy in their jobs, but they dont throw their rattler out of the pram every time they get told no!

    Theres plenty of unemployed people searching for any sort of job who would happily take their jobs off them if given the chance.

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    Mute Steve M
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    May 31st 2014, 9:44 AM

    Again just cause you have a job does not mean you should have to take crap. From a pure safety point if view I’d rather have happy non tired and stressed cabin crew than the opposite.

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    Mute Ailís McKernan
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    May 31st 2014, 9:51 AM

    Why should having a job come at the price of everything else? Wanting a work-life balance is not throwing the rattle out of the pram, it’s supposed to be a basic working condition. We don’t owe our employers anything other than our labour in exchange for money and fair conditions. It’s supposed to be a symbiotic relationship- not one where we are on our knees giving everything we have for the fear of our employers whims to dispense with us.

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    Mute gerbreen
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    May 31st 2014, 9:55 AM

    AL said average working week was 36 hours. Didn’t see union quoting a figure.

    47
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    Mute David Keogh
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    May 31st 2014, 9:56 AM

    Ailis, Aer Lingus employees have their employers by the throat! Its not the other way around!

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    Mute Trev heff
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    May 31st 2014, 10:29 AM

    Does your employer listen to you.
    If he decided to change your contract and working conditions in the morning,in a job that you love.would you just up sticks and leave or would you try and reason with him.

    If the new conditions involved you being driven to another county to carry out your work.if your lunch breaks were undetermined.sometimes working 6 days a wk,Woking up to 10-11 hours a day.if your boss then decided to send you out of the country for a few days at a time with as little as 2 days notice.
    If you were unable to plan any reasonable holidays or days off in advance of 3 wks.
    If you were tired and run down all the time unable to participate in family life.

    You would you leave because of the above reasons,as you said above there are lots of people who are looking for jobs,hence jobs are scarce.
    If your colleagues all had the same grievances would you stand shoulder to shoulder with them.

    Aer lingus have known about these issues for the last 3yrs and have chosen to ignore them.

    The staff are not looking for more time off,so don’t listen to company propaganda or anti social loons like Michael o leary who equates flying time to clock in clock out time.ridiculous

    Thrust me on the above,I live with it.i once envied their jobs.but now I’d prefer to be a coal miner

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    Mute Truth Patrol
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    May 31st 2014, 10:31 AM

    Agree with Ailis. They signed up for this in their contract. But I’d like some scientific facts produced re the pressurised environment. If it would be unsafe for them to work over a particular amount of hours, fair enough. Otherwise suck it up.

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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    May 31st 2014, 10:38 AM

    Trev if I had a job which involved flying to different countries for a living I might well expect all of the above! You talk about up to 60 hour weeks, I’ve heard it’s 36 on average, union never speak in averages as the maximums make better sound bytes! You mention no breaks, even on a flight to London the cabin crew spend a fair chunk of it on their arses! I think your comparison with the coal mines woukd last about 5 minutes into your first day!

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    Mute Trev heff
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    May 31st 2014, 10:58 AM

    Well ted if you equate employment as work done on your feet then I think you will find a lot of professions who would kindly stick two fingers up to you.london flights are done in doubles and can involve working up to 10 hours with no lunch breaks.fact
    I d love to know where you ‘heard’ of the averages probably from tweety bird but we all know what happens to canaries when they go down the mine.

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    Mute Derek Mcdermott
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    May 31st 2014, 12:19 PM

    Their job is not rocket science…glorified to high heaven these people have caused havoc with peoples travel and they should be ashamed

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    Mute George Grey
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    May 31st 2014, 9:16 AM

    The state should ditch their share of this airline and let it operate in the open market. Striking on a bank holiday friday only illustrates the extent to which staff take their positions for granted. I am all for workers rights but this is ridiculous. ….and all over what seems to me to be a trifling issue…….If they had no job at all they would have all the time in the world to organise their rest periods!

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    Mute pg
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    May 31st 2014, 9:46 AM

    A couple had to fork out another €1700 to fly on Thursday instead of yesterday to the states as their child was having a very serious operation . They had no choice. Cabin crew want the same conditions as pilots….sorry but I think a pilots job is a lot more pressurised hence they get more time off.

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    Mute Gabriela Szabó
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    May 31st 2014, 1:32 PM

    ..and the pilots were supporting their cause because??…
    …Because they know that cabin crew work just as hard as they do…

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    Mute Bobby
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    May 31st 2014, 2:07 PM

    I always wondered what they are up to behind those curtains, always having a giggle.

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    Mute Rob Stafford
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    May 31st 2014, 9:18 PM

    Pg, there are starving people in this world while we throw out food everyday. There are homeless people and houses are lying empty and boarded up. There is any amount of injustices going on in the world. Your point of comparing cabin crew to piolets has weight but to suggest the cabin crew left a sick kid high & dry is wrong. Set up a charity link I’ll donate a few bob and I’m sure we help that family.

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    Mute Rob Stafford
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    May 31st 2014, 9:25 PM

    Pg to suggest cabin crew in any way set out to make that family’s life more difficult is wrong. There is houses borded up in this country yet we have homelessness, people are going hungry yet we throw food out everyday. There are many injustices in this country but nobody does anything about it. What happened to that family is very unfortunate and I hope everything works out. I have no doubt Aer lingus as a company both staff & management would help that family in any way in the future.

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    Mute richard fennessy
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    May 31st 2014, 9:28 AM

    Gone is any support for workers rights the new attitude is “ah your lucky to have a job” sad

    122
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    Mute The Hungry Boards
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    May 31st 2014, 9:40 AM

    Ah you just get sick of hearing about this particular group of workers. Every year they threaten strike action.

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    Mute Steve M
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    May 31st 2014, 9:46 AM

    Exactly…funny most of the groups that strike now were never the ones that made big bucks during the boom. The jobs were seen as stable and safe but you won’t get rich doing it…like CIE, nurses, gardai etc

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    Mute Alan McDonagh
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    May 31st 2014, 2:29 PM

    And have you ever wondered why they have to do that every year ? You are probably of limited intellectual ability,but I will give you a heads up.No lunch brake,No tea break,Less than 24 hour turn around on a transatlantic flight with a 14 hour day each side of it and a lot more to add.But you obviously know it all and I’m sure you won’t ever need their help if you are on a flight that’s in trouble.

    21
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    Mute Michael Fagan
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    May 31st 2014, 9:48 AM

    I’d love to hear how their work rosters compare with other airlines, then I could make a informed comment.

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    Mute gerbreen
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    May 31st 2014, 10:26 AM

    Wouldn’t need to take pay, perks and all T&Cs into account though for a comparison.

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    Mute The Animal
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    May 31st 2014, 1:20 PM

    You’d think they would go on strike at 4am on a Tuesday morning instead for an hour to make their point like good little workers. They’d get maximum media coverage then!

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    Mute Declan Moran
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    May 31st 2014, 1:20 PM

    Sensible request Michael.

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    Mute Bobby
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    May 31st 2014, 1:56 PM
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    Mute Ailís McKernan
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    May 31st 2014, 9:30 AM

    To think that simply listened to staff concerns and arriving at a compromise would have saved aer lingus 10mill in one day!

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    Mute Ted Carroll
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    May 31st 2014, 9:50 AM

    Ailis that’s incredibly short sighted! Those charged with running AL unfortunately have a much larger time frame to consider than one day, this new roster system could cost them back that in multiples in the coming years!

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    Mute Ian
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    May 31st 2014, 9:52 AM

    Then give in when they all for a 30% payrise too? And when they ask for 5 days on 5 days off? Give them what ever they ask for while Ryanair takes over there market share.

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    Mute gerbreen
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    May 31st 2014, 10:00 AM

    Most likely about 25% of last year’s operating profit lost. Brand damage back in headlines.

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    Mute Hank Schrader
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    May 31st 2014, 10:19 AM

    “Aer Lingus Strike”.. To be continued, but you gotta wait till the next bank holiday.

    36
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    Mute David Lawless
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    May 31st 2014, 11:44 AM

    Impact have used the threat of industrial action so often, weather there right or wrong (and I think they might for once have a slight point) they have lost all support from the public and damaged Aer Lingus as a brand.
    I think if Aer Lingus give in, they’ll be at the mercy of these me feiners every time there’s a minor dispute

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    Mute pg
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    May 31st 2014, 12:24 PM

    How come a strike is never a Wednesday in February ?

    15
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    Mute Joseph Siddall
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    May 31st 2014, 12:57 PM

    They threaten strike action to have most IMPACT. Oh, wait…………

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    Mute Petr Tarasov
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    May 31st 2014, 2:23 PM

    Solidarity with the workers.

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    Mute Lisa Meehan
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    Jun 1st 2014, 12:55 AM

    Firstly….yes they have chosen this career….does that mean they have to put up with bad rosters? Absolutely not!! Like every worker in Ireland we are all entitled to decent conditions and your employer has a duty of care to you all. Aer Lingus is no different. We are all entilted to choose a career and stay in that career/profession for as long as we wish, be it 4 or 40 years. I completely agree with the cabin crew and the public should be backing them up,not knocking them for standing up to the management for horrific rosters for the last 3years.

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    Mute Mark Aherne
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    Jun 1st 2014, 9:52 PM

    The Army will strike next! 5 days off a week…. UN tour cut from 6 months to 2 months. These bloody people really grip my sh@/t!!!!

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