Cabin crew at Aer Lingus are to ballot for industrial action in a row over the implementation of the company’s new €97 million cost-cutting plan.
The plan involves the introduction of a new 850 hour annual flight-time working requirement for cabin crew.
The trade union Impact has said that it believes that this arrangement can be put in place without making changes to existing agreements. However, it said Aer Lingus has begun unilaterally to change day-to-day rosters for staff at the airline.
The ballot, which is being held after attempts to resolve the dispute at the Labour Relations Commission failed, will conclude on August 9th.
Under trade union legislation, cabin crew would have to serve a minimum of seven days notice before implementing any form of strike action.
Impact official Christina Carney accused the airline of proceeding unilaterally to force changes to cabin crew workers’ terms and conditions of employment. She said the union could see no reason why Aer Lingus would breach contracts and agreements in order to achieve the new working requirement.
"Impact has always committed to honour its side of agreements including the working of 850 block hours. However enough is enough and we are balloting now to commence a work to rule within contract and for withdrawal of flexibility" said Ms Carney.
In a letter accompanying the ballot paper, Ms Carney told union members: "We regret to have to consider the taking of industrial action, but the company’s behaviour has left us with no choice.
"The purpose of the action is to protect cabin crew contracts and to ensure that the contracts are honoured and agreements are upheld. Cabin crew have a right to come to work each day as required and to expect that their duty hours, and conditions of employment are as they have agreed and as stipulated in their contract."
An Aer Lingus spokesman said last night that the company did not anticipate any disruption to flight schedules as a result of the proposed industrial action.
He said that 93 per cent of cabin crew had voted a number of months ago to support the cost-containment deal. He said that company had a mandate and would continue to implement the changes.
Impact cabin crew at Aer Lingus voted to accept the terms of the €97 million cost-saving plan in March. The decision averted the threat of 230 compulsory redundancies and removed any possibility of industrial action by staff.
The airline's €97 million plan is aimed at shaving 7.5 per cent off the airline's cost base.
