Members of Fórsa’s Aer Lingus Cabin Crew branch have overwhelmingly rejected the company’s latest pay offer, with 97.7% voting against the proposed deal in a Fórsa ballot that concluded last week. 

The decisive result follows weeks of consultation and a branch-wide poll which had already indicated strong opposition to the offer.  

Fórsa said the result sends a clear message that the proposed terms fail to address long-standing pay inequities for cabin crew dating from the Covid pandemic. 

The rejected offer would have extended the current pay agreement until December 2026 and provided increases of 3% (or €960, whichever is greater) from 1st January 2026, and a further 1% (or €320) from 1st July 2026. 

Fórsa official Lisa Connell said the ballot outcome demonstrates members’ frustration at the slow pace of pay restoration: “This was a very strong turnout and a very strong result. Our members don’t believe this offer went far enough to repair the legacy of pandemic-era pay cut measures. 

“Cabin crew endured some of the deepest pay cuts in the aviation sector during that period, up to 70% in some cases. Since then, the company itself has returned to profitability, but many crew are still trying to recover financially,” she said. 

She added that the union expects further engagement with the airline through the Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU), under whose auspices the earlier negotiations were held: “I believe we will have to re-engage with the company. Our preference is always for dialogue, but meaningful progress must address the impact of those pandemic-era reductions,” she said. 

Ground crew members represented by SIPTU rejected a similar offer, while a ballot of Fórsa’s IAESA branch members resulted in a 54% majority in favour of acceptance.  

Fórsa said its aim is to engage with management through the ICTU group of unions to achieve an improved deal for members. 

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