Fórsa is to ballot Aer Lingus cabin crew on management proposals for sweeping changes to working conditions, following a meeting of the union’s Cabin Crew Branch committee today (Saturday). The union intends to conduct the ballot over the next few days, though precise arrangements are still being made.
Fórsa officials said the scope of the proposals, which are effectively an alternative to lay-offs and a further significant pay cut to 30% of pre-coronavirus crisis rates, meant that it could not be accepted on behalf of workers without a ballot.
Fórsa officials said the scope of the proposals, effectively an alternative to lay-offs and a further significant pay cut, meant that it could not be accepted on behalf of workers without a ballot.
A union spokesperson said: “The Fórsa Cabin Crew Branch committee today arrived at the reasonable conclusion that it did not have the authority to accept changes of this scale without consulting the individuals who will have to live with the decision.
“In particular, there was a strong feeling that it was neither right nor safe to accept a proposal that requires individuals to take on significant long-term debt to the company – in the form of paying back wages received for shifts not worked over a substantial time period – without the consent of the people concerned.
“The union will not be making a recommendation on how to vote, but we will make it clear that the alternative to this package is lay-offs and further reductions in pay. We fully understand the intense pressure bearing down on the company and its staff, and our intention is to complete the ballot in the shortest possible timeframe.
There was a strong feeling that it was neither right nor safe to accept a proposal that requires individuals to take on significant long-term debt to the company without the consent of the people concerned.
“Ireland is a small nation that’s highly dependent on trade, travel, tourism and international connectivity. Its aviation industry, which has served the country well, is now enduring the biggest crisis of a lifetime. That’s why Fórsa has called on the Government to act to ensure that Ireland has an aviation industry when this crisis is over.”
Earlier today, Fórsa said reports of an “agreement” between unions and management were premature, as the cabin crew representatives had yet to consider the proposals.
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