Mediator To Join Union Talks With Aer Lingus – Irish Independent – 13th August 2010

Date: August 23rd, 2010 | Filed under: Blog, Mediation News | Tags: "Mediator and Aer Lingus", mediator

AER Lingus and its cabin crew will be invited to talks by a state mediation body in a last-ditch bid to end a dispute over new rosters.

It is understood that the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) will intervene next week to try and resolve a dispute over an increase in their flying hours to 850 a year.

LRC chief executive Kieran Mulvey is expected to issue a binding arbitration decision on the extra hours before the end of the month.

Cabin crew served notice of work-to-rule industrial action from Wednesday week on the airline, although they insist it will not interfere with flights.

Aer Lingus has also reassured passengers that the industrial action will have no impact on flights, even if the cabin crew go on strike.

Although the cabin crew have agreed to the increased flying hours, which are part of a €97m cost-cutting plan, they object to new rosters introduced by management to achieve this.

Their union, IMPACT, said yesterday that the work-to-rule will mean they will start to take 30-minute breaks again from August 25.

They said these breaks had been removed from the new rosters and went beyond what was agreed in the cost-cutting plan, known as the Greenfield plan.

- Anne-Marie Walsh