Aer Lingus crew cancel work-to-rule

`AER Lingus cabin crew based at Shannon were due to begin a work-to-rule on Wednesday but it was cancelled at the eleventh hour to allow detailed consideration of arbitration findings issued by the Labour Relations Commission (LRC).
The union outlined its position in a statement. “Impact acknowledges the detailed work by the arbitrator in the days and weeks prior to issuing today’s findings. The detailed findings, which run to 39 pages and reflect the complex technical issues under consideration, deserve and demand close reading and analysis. Time will also be required for cabin crew staff to read, digest and discuss the document.
“It would be unreasonable to press ahead with industrial action while this happens and Impact is, therefore, suspending its planned work-to-rule to allow detailed consideration of the arbitration finding.”
The union said its members have already accepted changes in pay and conditions and asked for some flexibility from the company. “The union notes that the finding recommends a revision of existing agreement – rather than their abandonment – in order to meet the agreed objective of 850 flying hours a year as part of cabin crew’s overall working time. This issue was at the root of the current dispute, which was triggered by management’s imposition of changed rosters without agreement. In this spirit, Impact now calls upon Aer Lingus to immediately reverse the harsh and unnecessary changes imposed, without agreement, on cabin crew in recent weeks.”
Aer Lingus welcomed the decision not to go ahead with the industrial action. “We’ve received a document on the outcome of the arbitration. It’s a very complicated document, however we note the commitment to 850 flying hours. We also welcome the fact that the industrial action has been called off. We will now consider the document in some detail.”
Also this week, Aer Lingus announced its first-half results for 2010, which were quite positive. Operating loss for the six-month period was €19 million, an 80% reduction on the operating loss in the first half of 2009. In the second quarter of the year, it recorded an operating profit of €18.8 million, compared to an €18.2 million loss in the same period of 2009.
Speaking on the results, Christoph Mueller, Aer Lingus CEO said, “For the 2010 full year, we expect to report an operating performance (before exceptional items) of no worse than break even. This would represent a good performance in difficult market condition but it is predicated on the delivery of committed staff productivity savings and no further significant disruptions to operations from industrial action or airspace closures.
“Looking to 2011, it remains too early to provide firm guidance on the group’s expected performance. Yields and passenger volumes will be dependent on the economic outlook in our main markets, which remains uncertain. However, we expect ongoing improvement in our cost base in 2011 as we continue to implement our Greenfield cost-reduction programme.”