The chair of the Labour Court met separately with the Aer Lingus group of unions and the airline’s management last week to hear submissions on pay. The court is now considering the unions’ demands, along with management’s response. It’s expected that a full Labour Court hearing will be convened shortly.

IMPACT and other unions in the airline are seeking pay increases averaging 5% a year over the next three years, along with a profit-sharing scheme and the restoration of increments foregone since 2008.

Management initially sought a ‘self-financing’ outcome, with productivity measures underpinning any and all increases. There was insufficient progress at Workplace Relations Commission hearings earlier this year, and the unions referred the claim to the Labour Court.

IMPACT has pointed to the high performance of Aer Lingus, compared to the wider AIG group, in terms of operating profits, return on investment, and payroll costs as a proportion of revenue.