Irish Air Line Pilots' Association will immediately to suspend ongoing work-to-rule action.

• Aer Lingus pilots suspend industrial action - but no change to cancelled flights
• The airline said the industrial relations dispute had been "enormously damaging both financially and reputationally".
• The pilots had initially sought a pay increase of 24 per cent, which they said equated to inflation since the last pay rise in 2019.

Aer Lingus pilots are set to ballot on whether to accept the 17.75 per cent pay increase recommended by the Labour Court from next Friday, the head of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) has said.

So eventually, the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA) has endorsed a pay recommendation proposed by the Labour Court.

The pilots union says it will "move immediately to suspend ongoing work-to-rule action, in place since 26th June, pending the outcome of a ballot"

Voting on the offer will take place between 18 and 23 July, and the union plans to hold talks with members before this period. The recommendation includes a 17.75% wage rise for pilots over more than three years.

Captain Mark Tighe, president of the union, said that the outcome is a "significant win", secured "by the determination and unity" of members.

Speaking to the national broadcaster RTÉ, Tighe continued:

"It's not quite the inflation that we were discussing but we are looking at two years from now and pilots will be 19.2% better off than they were, which is some ways towards inflation."

Tighe clarified that no changes to working conditions had been agreed as part of the deal.

IALPA's acceptance of the offer was welcomed by Aer Lingus and also by Ireland’s Taoiseach Simon Harris.

"I very much welcome the decesion by IALPA to suspend their industrial action and to recommend acceptance of the Labour Court proposal," he said.

"This is a very positive development for the travelling public and our tourism sector. I have consistently stated that compromise and engagement was the only way forward," said Mr Harris.

IALPA-instigated strikes, which accompanied an overtime ban, have led to the cancellation of 573 flights since the action began two weeks ago.

Of this total, 25 flight cancellations scheduled for Monday and Tuesday next week may not be reversed.

Pilots had originally been seeking a 23.8% pay increase to compensate for the effect of inflation on their pay packets. Aer Lingus previously branded this demand as "unsustainable".

Aer Lingus has now welcomed pilots' move to halt the work-to-rule status, which has been in place since June 26 - but confirmed that all announced cancellations will go ahead as planned.

The union is set to hold more talks with members before a ballot on the terms of the Labour Court recommendation in the coming week.

Image: Leah Farrell/© RollingNews.ie

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