Around 130 workers are set to walk out on strike
Aer Lingus staff at Manchester Airport are to go on strike (Image: Adam Vaughan)
Aer Lingus crew at Manchester Airport are set to walk out of work next month in an ongoing dispute over pay.
Around 130 workers are planning to not show up for work from 9 to 11 November, and 16 to 18 November. Before this, an initial workout has been scheduled from 30 October to 2 November.
The news comes after airline employees at Manchester Airport rejected the latest offer of a nine percent pay rise this year and a three percent rise next year.
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The staff, who are members of Unite, have conceded that while the figures look high on paper, they have pointed to low Aer Lingus salaries. According to reports from Unite, the starting salary at the company is at £17,640.25, well below minimum wage.
There is also a discrepancy between pay in the UK and Ireland. The starting basic salary for cabin crew in Ireland is €29,833.26, meaning the difference once converted into pounds is £8,249.
Unite says that staff are reportedly struggling to pay rent and having to take second jobs to afford essentials to live and work in Manchester, which has a similar cost of living than Dublin.
Unite bosses have highlighted Aer Lingus’ lucrative 2024 that has seen it record an operating profit of €205m and has projected profits of around £35 million from just two aircraft operating three routes at Manchester Airport – Barbados, New York JFK and Orlando, the routes the cabin crew involved in the dispute work on.
Unite general secretary Sharon Graham said: “It is outrageous that cabin crew working for such a profitable airline are struggling on such low wages and cannot afford the basics.
“Any strike action will be hugely disruptive to these routes, but the additional action is entirely the fault of Aer Lingus who have consistently put profits over people during this dispute. Unite will back our members at the airline every step of the way.”
Unite regional officer John O’Neill said: “All our members are seeking from Aer Lingus is a recognition of the hard work they do and being able to have a standard of living that doesn’t require struggling to get by or taking on multiple jobs to afford essentials.
“Each time management chooses to spend money fighting its own employees rather than resolving the issue, they push the cost higher and delay the inevitable outcome – a fair deal for Aer Lingus UK cabin crew.
“Aer Lingus can avoid this further action by investing some of its profits back into its hardworking staff and coming back to the negotiating table. Unite is urging them to do this to avoid major disruption to flights in the coming weeks.”