Aer Lingus cabin crew have voted by 75% to 25% to reject proposals for sweeping changes to their working conditions, which would have put many staff members in significant debt to the company. The turnout in the postal ballot was 82%.
Fórsa, which represents the workers, said the outcome vindicated the decision of the union’s Cabin Crew branch to put the package to ballot, but said company management had done everything it its power to antagonise its staff over the last ten days.
A Fórsa spokesperson said: “A company like Aer Lingus, which is currently receiving hundreds of thousands of Euro from the public purse, should be ashamed of its treatment of staff across the airline.
A company like Aer Lingus, which is currently receiving hundreds of thousands of Euro from the public purse, should be ashamed of its treatment of staff across the airline.
“Cabin crew and all the company’s employees understand the difficulties that Aer Lingus and the entire aviation industry is going through. They want to play their part in helping the airline through this period, but they are being treated with distain by their management.
“Fórsa fully understands and respects the approach taken by all organisations within the Aer Lingus Group of Unions. For its part, the union’s Cabin Crew Branch took the view that they could not accept the sweeping changes on behalf of cabin crew – including debt-accrual – without a ballot. Cabin crew were fully appraised of the likely alternative to this package and the ballot result, therefore, vindicates this judgement.
“The company’s actions over the last ten days have shown a total disregard for staff. Management has sought to deny a voice to the people affected by its proposals, with the laughable suggestion that a one-week ballot process would jeopardise a package that will be in place for more than a year and a half.
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Management has sought to deny a voice to the people affected by its proposals, with the laughable suggestion that a one-week ballot process would jeopardise a package that will be in place for more than a year and a half.
“It has agreed far superior proposals for its better-paid staff. And, in its impatience, it has announced 500 redundancies and imposed a further pay cut, which means the taxpayer is now footing most or all of its pay bill.
“The outcome of the cabin crew ballot – and the developments that have come to light since their ballot commenced last Monday (15th June) demonstrate the need for a new approach from the company, and a new engagement between the airline and its unions.”
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