Fórsa is balloting cabin crew members in Aer Lingus on a Labour Court recommendation on a pay and profit-sharing claim in the airline with a recommendation that members vote against accepting the deal.

The ballot follows consultation between the airline and the group of unions, including Fórsa, and represented by the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) on Aer Lingus’s interpretation of the recommendation.

The Labour Court recommended a 1% increase in basic pay (payable from 1st January 2019) and a one-off €300 voucher to settle the pay claim.

It also recommended reviewing the ‘continuing value’ of the Internal Disputes Resolution Board (IDRB) and that the parties should engage on Aer Lingus’s wish to enhance security measures with a new search policy.

Fórsa official Ashley Connolly explained that the cabin crew branch executive recommended members vote against accepting the Labour Court recommendation: “Aer Lingus is a multi-million euro company which has made profits in excess of €400 million last year, and is in a position to appropriately reward its employees in line with these profits,” she said.

Ashley said the group of unions wrote to Aer Lingus on its interpretation of the Labour Court recommendation, which was not in line with the unions’ or the Labour Court’s stance on the IDRB. She also said the unions were opposed to the airlines new search policy.

The ballot will conclude on Friday 18th October.