The Labour Court has told Aer Lingus management and cabin crew that it considers Belfast to be a foreign base.
The IMPACT trade union, which represents cabin crew, had sought clarification of a previous LRC recommendation as to what constituted a foreign base.
In letters to management and IMPACT, Charirman Kevin Duffy said that when issuing that recommendation regarding terms and conditions in foreign bases, he did not have any particular location in mind.
The clarification could impact on current negotiations between Aer Lingus management and pilots over the proposed new Belfast base.
Clarification was also sought as to whether the Labour Court intended management to be able to impose new terms and conditions arbitrarily.
Mr Duffy responded that the court had expressly recommended that the pay, terms and conditions of employment of staff recruited to foreign bases be determined by reference to local conditions.
He said the Labour Court was aware that the normal practice of Aer Lingus to establish pay and conditions through collective bargaining and based its recommendation on that understanding.
However, he stressed that the court had not recommended any particular negotiating arrangements and would not normally do so, particularly in respect to a location outside its jurisdiction.
A spokesperson for Aer Lingus said they welcomed the clarification and are considering the details of the document.
IMPACT welcomed the Labour Court's acknowledgement that collective bargaining was normal practice in Aer Lingus.
