Aer Lingus cabin crew in Shannon to be temporarily laid off

Staff at Dublin and Cork airports face further pay and roster cuts.

AER LINGUS CABIN crew based at Shannon Airport are set to be temporarily laid off, it has been confirmed.

Cabin crew based at Dublin Airport and Cork Airport will have their rosters and pay reduced from 50% to 30% of their normal rate.

Employees were informed of the cuts today.

Earlier this month, Aer Lingus said it was seeking up to 900 job cuts as a result of the impact the Covid-19 pandemic, and related travel restrictions, was having on its business.

Last month, the airline cut working hours and staff wages by 50%.

A spokesperson for Fórsa, which represents cabin crew and other grades at Aer Lingus, has said the cost-cutting measures announced by the company today were “not agreed with the union”.

“The decisions announced today are the result of decisions made unilaterally by Aer Lingus,” the spokesperson said.

‘Significant crisis’ 

They stated that Fórsa recognises “we are facing the most significant crisis for the entire Irish aviation industry in a generation, with the potential to adversely affect the commercial connectivity of the country”.

The spokesperson added that there is “some time remaining to explore and negotiate available options”, noting the union is currently consulting with its Aer Lingus members.

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When asked for comment on the cuts, a spokesperson for Aer Lingus told TheJournal.ie that the airline “has been communicating directly with our employees” throughout the crisis.

“This week we are communicating with our employees on an individual level as we align working hours and pay with the amount of work that needs to be done.

“We have also been engaging with the representative bodies on an ongoing basis regarding the urgent requirement to reduce costs across our business given the decimation in demand for travel in the immediate term and the uncertainty regarding future travel demand thereafter.”