DUBLIN, July 24 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Members of the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) have voted overwhelmingly to accept proposals aimed at resolving its long-running pay dispute with Aer Lingus.
The IALPA executive had recommended acceptance of the Irish Labour Court proposals, which included a 17.75% pay rise for pilots over a four-year period.
The results show 85% of IALPA members backed the pay deal on a turnout of 96%.
An electronic ballot opened on Thursday and closed on Tuesday morning.
IALPA’s President Capt Mark Tighe said the 85% ballot result meant that his members had “clearly stated they are happy” with the pay deal.
Speaking to the BBC’s Evening Extra programme, he expressed regret that the dispute with Aer Lingus had taken so long to resolve.
More than 600 flights were cancelled over the past few weeks as pilots staged industrial action.
But Capt Tighe added: “We didn’t really have a choice other than to stand up for ourselves as pilots who hadn’t seen a pay increase.”
He explained that the four-year pay deal consists of “a series of payment over a period of time”.
“The last payment is on 1 July 2026, just under two years from now.
“So at that point in time, the Aer Lingus pilots will be 19.2% better off than they are today.”
He added that a fifth of pilots on the lower end of the pay scale, along with all new and future joiners, would be “30% better off” as a result of the deal.
Industrial action by pilots at Aer Lingus led to the cancellation of 610 flights.
A total of 573 of the cancellations were pre-planned and there were a further 37 “on the day” cancellations.
The 610 flight cancellations impacted more than 84,000 passengers. — NNN-AGENCIES
