Preparations get underway today (Friday) for a ballot of Aer Lingus Cabin Crew branch members on the company’s proposed new pay terms. The ballot will commence next week (1st October) and close on Tuesday 14th October.

However, a poll of members has already indicated that the deal does not go far enough to address pay anomalies arising from the 2020 Covid pandemic.

The pay offer was tabled by management on 5^th September, following negotiations with the ICTU-led group of unions. While each of the unions commenced ballot preparations, a poll of Fórsa’s members concluded last Friday (19th), revealing their reservations about the new terms.

Fórsa official Lisa Connell explained: “The poll return was high and it shows very clearly that the proposals do not go far enough to close the pay gap that emerged during the global pandemic.

“Specifically, there’s been a legacy impact on cabin crew pay because of the airline’s decision to reduce cabin crew pay to just 30%. This was a devastating time for aviation workers, the experience hit them hard. Many are still trying to recover financially as a result of those Covid-era measures, and our cabin crew members believe the deal falls short of undoing the legacy of those measures,” she said.

A meeting of the Aer Lingus Cabin Crew branch committee yesterday decided to recommend a vote against the new pay terms in the ballot.

As the ballot gets underway, Lisa said the ballot will give the branch a strong mandate to address the legacy pay issues in a meaningful way: “This was an issue our colleagues in IALPA were able to address through debt forgiveness in the 2024 pilots’ pay deal,” she said.

Aer Lingus members of Fórsa’s IAESA branch are also preparing to ballot on the pay offer.

Under the airline’s proposal, Aer Lingus has offered an extension of the current pay agreement until 31st December 2026, with the following increases in 2026:

• A 3% or €960 increase (whichever is greater) from 1st January 2026.
• A further 1% or €320 increase (whichever is greater) from 1st July 2026.

The increases would apply to all elements of pay, in line with previous agreements.

The agreement would run until the end of December 2026, with successor discussions due to begin in October of that year. Fórsa will issue full details of the ballot arrangements to members in the coming days.

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