Trade unions representing other groups of workers at Aer Lingus are to meet to discuss the pilots' pay deal.
SIPTU Aviation Sector Organiser Niall Phillips said unions are hoping to meet as a group under the umbrella of the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) over the coming week to discuss the Labour Court proposals that include a pay increase for pilots of 17.75% over four years.
SIPTU represents 1,200 workers at Aer Lingus in areas such as guest services, ground staff, cleaning and catering.
At the end of 2022, the union agreed a 12.25% pay deal with Aer Lingus over three years.
A similar increase was agreed with the Fórsa trade union for cabin crew.
Under the agreements, unions can go back to management if another group of workers at the company receives a better pay deal.
"We will meet as a group of unions to look at the Labour Court recommendation to see what parts of it would apply to our members," Mr Phillips said.
"Under a pay agreement from December 2022, we have a section that allows us to go back to Aer Lingus should any other group receive increases greater than the original agreement that are unfunded increases."
"On the face of it, it looks like the 17.75% is unfunded pay increases," he added.
IALPA contends that the pay rise is 'unfunded' because the union said there are no work practice changes in exchange for the increase.
However, Aer Lingus believes that it is getting flexibility and productivity from pilots as part of the deal because the Labour Court proposals include the scrapping of a crewing agreement relating to summer leave and the restructuring of pay scales.
The pilots pay deal runs over four years while the SIPTU agreement is for three years.
"Their agreements runs over four years, ours is three, so there is 4% in 2026 that we would be interested in looking at that for our members," Mr Phillips said.
The SIPTU agreement runs out at the end of 2025 and negotiations on a successor deal would likely take place in the middle of next year.
