Aer Lingus chief executive Dermot Mannion has written directly to all 500 pilots in the company with new proposals aimed at resolving the row over its planned Belfast base which almost led to a 48-hour strike at the airline last month.
The airline is offering to allow pilots in the Republic to apply to move permanently, or on secondment for up to five years, to Belfast at local pay rates without having to resign from the airline as had previously been the case.
Those on secondment could retain membership of their existing defined-benefit pension scheme.
In a letter sent to pilots last night and seen by The Irish Times, Mr Mannion said Aer Lingus was "prepared to work with the Irish Air Line Pilots Association (Ialpa) to develop relevant protections for Republic of Ireland-based pilots."
But he added: "We are not in a position to import our existing Republic of Ireland seniority agreement and/or other agreements into the proposed Belfast base."
Talks aimed at resolving the dispute have been ongoing for several weeks. However, the company has now set out its settlement proposals directly to pilots.
The letter states that pay for pilots in Belfast would be in line with local market conditions, as allowed by a report drawn up by industrial relations consultant Phil Flynn earlier this year.
Aircraft captains in Belfast would be paid from £76,000 (€109,400) to £96,520 (€138,940) while rates for first officers would run from £40,000 to £50,800.
In addition, "sector" or performance pay averaging £8,300 per annum would be paid to captains and first officers.
Pilots in Belfast would not be allowed to join the existing defined-benefit pension scheme.
A new defined-contribution scheme would be introduced for pilots at UK bases.
However, Mr Mannion said that the company had been advised that this move would not jeopardise the future of the pension scheme in the Republic. In his letter, Mr Mannion said that the company's plans to commence its Belfast operation in December "continue at a pace".
Aer Lingus was prepared to recognise Ialpa or its British equivalent in Belfast on condition that its reform plans in the Republic were agreed. "The financial wellbeing of the scheme [in the Republic] is not in any way dependent on the admission of Belfast-based pilots as members," he said.
Pilots in the Republic could either be appointed permanently to Belfast on the new local rates or opt to move on secondment for three to five years at local rates. Such pilots could subsequently opt to remain permanently in Belfast.
