Aer Lingus management and unions attended a Labour Court hearing this afternoon to discuss ongoing differences over pay and conditions.
A year and a half ago, unions accepted a drastic survival plan for the airline which included 2,300 redundancies, a pay freeze, as well as cuts in annual leave and overtime rates. However, the survival plan expired at the end of February.
Now that the company has turned the corner, returning operating profits of €64 million for 2002, unions say certain cutbacks in relation to the pay freeze, overtime rates and annual leave should be reversed.
For its part, management is refusing to pay the last 4% due to staff under the PPF without certain changes in work practices.
Among the key issues on the agenda are earlier starting times, quicker turnarounds for planes, and commission for on-board sales by cabin crew.
A determination from the Court is expected in the coming weeks.
