Aer Lingus flights are likely to be affected by a cabin-crew strike in the next fortnight, following a union ballot yesterday.
More than 98 per cent of IMPACT's cabin-crew members voted to reject a Labour Court recommendations to settle the long-running pay dispute. Aer Lingus management said it was "deeply disappointed" with the vote.
The union's cabin-crew committee will meet today to decide the timing and nature of strike action. By law the union must give seven days' notice of any industrial action, making it likely that any disruption will not occur for at least another week.
IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Ms Christina Carney, said the vote reflected staff dismay at plans to introduce different working conditions for old and new staff.
"This is a highly informed and overwhelming decision," she said. "Our members are team players and have said No to two-tier working conditions and a 35-year wait for a £25,000 salary."
According to Ms Carney it will be at least a week before any industrial action and "that leaves a small window of opportunity if Aer Lingus wants to reach a settlement". "Nobody wants to see passengers disrupted again," she said.
The airline's media relations manager, Mr Declan Conroy, described this statement as "utterly misleading", explaining that a senior cabin-crew member with 15 years' service will have an income of £27,000, plus expenses.
He conceded that this would not apply to new staff, but emphasised that the Labour Court was consulted on a dispute over pay for the 1,600 existing cabin crew. "More than 1,000 of them will benefit from increases of more than 25 per cent. This has been about low pay, and now that has been resolved the goal-posts are being shifted."
He also said another of IMPACT's claims, that new staff would be entitled to 12 days' less leave, was untrue.
This latest vote is part of continuing industrial action by Aer Lingus cabin crew. Some 200,000 passengers were affected when all Aer Lingus flights were grounded by strike action on October 17th last year.