11/02/12, 01:58:29 EST

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Ireland's Aer Lingus, pilots announce deal to avoid airline shutdown

iht.com

Aer Lingus Group PLC and its pilots announced a deal Monday that will prevent the airline from being grounded this week in a bitter dispute over the carrier's new Northern Ireland hub.

The agreement, revealed after 19 straight hours of talks overnight at Ireland's Labor Commission, will permit Aer Lingus to hire and train new pilots in British territory of Northern Ireland in time for a planned Dec. 8 launch from Belfast International Airport.

The airline conceded some pilot demands but held firm on its demand that the new pilots would not be employed under the same terms and conditions as Republic of Ireland pilots.

Aer Lingus had threatened to suspend all 480 of its pilots Tuesday if they didn't sign letters promising to support the recruitment of new pilots in Northern Ireland under British terms of employment. But Chief Executive Dermot Mannion said this threat had been lifted.

"The threat to passenger services on Tuesday has been lifted, and I can confirm we will be offering a full schedule of services through the week," a red-eyed Mannion said after leaving the Labor Relations Commission offices.

The Irish Airline Pilots Association, which had demanded that existing Aer Lingus pilots receive first priority for transfer to new Northern Ireland positions, said the deal nearly collapsed because Aer Lingus has already offered contracts to seven new pilots.

But the union said it had accepted the hiring of these seven pilots as a once-only concession.

"The company have guaranteed it will never happen again, and future pilot positions will be filled in accordance of our existing seniority agreement from one seniority list right across the airline," said Michael Landers, a senior official of the Impact trade union that helps organize Irish pilots.

"We don't have everything, but we've made significant achievements for the union and on balance this would be something we could recommend to our members," Landers said.

 Printable Version  | published Oct 15, 2007