Fórsa criticise Aer Lingus for not attending Labour Court hearing

TRADE union Fórsa, which represents Aer Lingus cabin crew said it was appalled at Aer Lingus management’s decision not to attend a Labour Court hearing on the closure of the airline’s Shannon base. T

The union had referred the issue to the Labour Court after thetwo sides failed to reach agreement over staff transfers and redundancy terms in a series of direct talks.

Fórsa said company management has refused to attend, and had emailed cabin crew ordering them to apply to transfer to Dublin or Cork, or opt for redundancy on what the union calls “take it or leave it” terms.

Fórsa official Ian McDonnell accused the company of disrespecting staff, as well as the Labour Court. “Aer Lingus has received hundreds of thousands of taxpayers’ Euro throughout the Covid crisis. Now it has spurned the State’s top industrial relations body, declared an incomplete consultation over, and ordered staff to respond to its ‘take it or leave it’ terms. Far from trying to save jobs in the battered aviation sector, the airline’s approach is increasing the risk that loyal staff will be made redundant against their will and on substandard terms,” he said.

Earlier this week the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) wrote to Aer Lingus to say that the airline’s refusal to attend a Labour Court hearing on such a high-stakes issue was “a very serious development,” which it claimed “marks a significant departure on the part of the company from normal and agreed industrial relations procedures.”