Aer Lingus strike ends, fewer delays likely

DUBLIN, Ireland (Reuters) -- Thousands of passengers faced delays and cancellations at Ireland's airports on Friday when clerical staff from state-owned airline Aer Lingus stopped work for four hours to press a pay claim.

As the action wound down, Aer Lingus said it had accepted an offer by the country's independent Labor Court to mediate in the dispute with clerical and catering staff, who are pressing for better pay and conditions.

"We believe the only way forward is to engage in dialogue and Aer Lingus will cooperate fully with the Labor Court in seeking a fair and equitable solution to the pay issues," the airline said in a statement.

The strike by arrivals, check-in and boarding staff at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports forced Aer Lingus to cancel 35 of its 260 flights scheduled for Friday, a busy day ahead of Monday's public holiday in Ireland.

A spokesman for Aer Lingus said staff had returned to work after 2 p.m. and were working to cut a backlog.

"We're now expecting no more than 30- to 40-minute average flight delays and that should decrease as time goes on. It'll still be busy though on account of the holiday weekend," he said.

SIPTU, the union representing the 1,400 clerical staff, is considering the Labor Court talks offer and will announce a decision on Tuesday, state broadcaster RTE Radio reported.

SIPTU officials were unavailable for immediate comment.

It was unclear whether the union would press ahead with a 24-hour strike threatened for next Friday, a move that would force the airline to ground its fleet for the second time in recent weeks.

Aer Lingus last week grounded all its aircraft for one day due to a cabin crew strike. Management and unions are seeking to resolve their differences in roundtable talks.

Aer Lingus is fighting disputes on several fronts.

Pilots, aggrieved they are paid less than their counterparts in the Oneworld alliance at British Airways and American Airlines, have also staged low-level industrial action although the impact on flights has been minimal to date.

Copyright 2000 Reuters. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

Aer Lingus cabin crew members strike for more pay
October 17, 2000

Aer Lingus
SIPTU
American Airlines
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