Aer Lingus confirms strike
Tuesday, 14 Aug 2007 14:01
Aer Lingus wants to cut flights between London and Shannon
Irish airline Aer Lingus has confirmed that its pilots will be taking part in a 48-hour strike next week, with the workers set to protest over company plans to create a new hub outside the Republic of Ireland.
The industrial action is being taken by workers from the Impact trade union, who claim that Aer Lingus proposals to establish a new base at Belfast in Northern Ireland will lead to job losses and different pay for the airline's staff south of the border.
Aer Lingus claims that over 100 new jobs will be created as a result of the company establishing a base at Belfast's international airport, a move announced by the airline last week as part of plans to fuel company growth within Europe.
But trade union bosses claim the move will result in the loss over 40 Aer Lingus jobs at Shannon airport, with the carrier planning to cut back services from its base in southern Ireland following the establishment of operations in Belfast. They also concerned that new staff employed at Belfast could be subject to different pay and conditions than existing Aer Lingus workers.
However in a statement commenting on the planned industrial action, which will begin next Tuesday, Aer Lingus said it was "angry and disappointed" that its pilots had chosen to "attack customers in an act of self-centred brinkmanship".
"This cynical attempt to use the new base as a veto on essential progress towards competitiveness is unacceptable and deeply regrettable given the need to grow the company as an independent force in the market," the former state-owned airline said.
Meanwhile rival Irish carrier Ryanair today announced that it will provide three additional daily flights from Shannon to London if Aer Lingus goes ahead with plans to close its route from the airport to Heathrow.
The company, which owns a 25 per cent stake in Aer Lingus, also called for its rival to hold a meeting of shareholders to allow them to vote on its restructuring plans and said it was prepared to use its vote to reject the proposal to cut services between Shannon and Heathrow.
"As Shannon's largest airline, Ryanair is determined to ensure that Shannon and the mid-west region will suffer no loss of traffic or flights as a result of Aer Lingus's decision to abandon Shannon in favour of Belfast," said Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary.
