Aer Lingus Cabin Crew Reject Terms of Recovery Plan

Aer Lingus cabin crew have roundly rejected the airline’s proposed post-pandemic measures which were announced as final by the company last week
The measures decided on by Aer Lingus involve a myriad of sweeping changes to employees’ contracts.

However, opposition to the plan has now gained momentum. The outcome of a postal ballot conducted by trade union Fórsa revealed a 75 per cent to 25 per cent vote against the proposed recovery plan. The turnout for the postal ballot was 82 per cent.

Last week, Aer Lingus, part of Anglo-Spanish aviation conglomerate, International Airlines Group (IAG) – which also operates British Airways – also confirmed that it was axing up to 500 jobs as a result of pandemic-driven groundings.

TAXPAYER FUNDED BAILOUT

The coronavirus crisis and the social curbs introduced to contain it, have paralysed the aviation industry worldwide. Aer Lingus expects its business next year to shrink by an estimated 20 per cent, this may prove to be an optimistic view.

Fórsa emphasised to Hot Press that the airline’s employees want to be part of the recovery and reopening process. They know that the airline is in trouble. “But they are being treated with disdain,” a spokesperson insisted.

In May, Minister for Transport Shane Ross TD said that the State had no plans to buy a stake in Aer Lingus, to help to ensure its survival. He added, however, that his department was closely monitoring the balance sheets of both Aer Lingus and Ryanair.

That should come as no surprise. British Airways had already announced that it is axing 12,000 jobs, while Level Europe – another company owned by IAG – has announced plans to file for insolvency.

Meanwhile, with a number of airlines across the world shutting down completely, France and Netherlands have pledged to provide a huge taxpayer-funded bailout of €10 billion, to salvage Air France-KLM, Europe’s biggest airline.

VERY DIFFICULT POSITION

Aer Lingus’s recovery plan, which Hot Press has seen, includes decreases in both pay and working hours for staff. However, the measures outlined in the document are complex.

“In general, pay will reflect work available,” the document states. “Work is defined as the amount of days rostered and worked.”

According to the document, from 30 August 2020, several ‘already identified’ employees, who are rostered for ‘100 per cent’ work will be paid at ‘75 per cent as previously agreed with them’. That represents a pay-cut of 25%. Others will suffer a higher loss of income. However, the company states its commitment to paying a ‘basic level’ income to those whose working hours have been drastically reduced.

In what seems like a particularly strange twist, employees may have to compensate the company for ‘overpayment’ once they hit a remuneration figure of ‘95 per cent of basic pay’. The plan is that the ‘compensation’ money would then be used to pay those who end up working for less.

The document says, in relation to ‘overpayments’ made by Aer Lingus (if any) that “the parties will immediately commence discussions to agree a process to measure, monitor and implement any overpayment. It is understood that any recovery will not be sought before returning the work group in question to minimum of 95% of basic pay.”

Whatever the detail of the scheme, cabin crew at Aer Lingus believe that this would eventually place them in a very difficult position, potentially incurring significant, individual debts to the company.

“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,” a spokesperson for Fórsa said. “Cabin crew were fully appraised of the likely alternative to this package and the ballot result, therefore, vindicates this judgement.”

DENIED A VOICE

Last week, Aer Lingus chief executive, Sean Doyle, said that the company was going ahead with the implementation of its recovery plan, despite disagreement from some unions. Mr Doyle said that those unions had failed to meet the deadline set for responding to the recovery policy document.

In response, Fórsa has said that the company has pushed people beyond their limits by ‘antagonising’ workers over the past ten days.

“A company like Aer Lingus, which is currently receiving hundreds of thousands of Euro from the public purse (by way of the wage subsidy scheme – Sub Ed), should be ashamed of its treatment of staff across the airline,” a spokesperson for Fórsa said.

Hot Press understands that, in a separate but related development, cabin crew at Aer Lingus have received an admin notice which discourages them from communicating information to outside sources, particularly members of the press. It states that employees had started to receive “unsolicited friend requests on social media from people outside of the organisation.

"We would like to remind you all of the importance of remaining vigilant to this type of fraudulent online activity," the notice adds.

“If the media or press contacts you about any online postings, publications, or statements, please advise the Aer Lingus press office,” it continues. “We would also like to remind you of your own personal responsibility when commenting, contributing or sharing information from media or press.”

“The company’s actions over the last ten days have shown a total disregard for staff,” a spokesperson for Fórsa stated. “Management has sought to deny a voice to the people affected by its proposals. 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.”

This one may run and run.