We are extending our solidarity to Aer Lingus workers who are today striking against to
improve their working conditions. In an age when capitalism seems determined to make fewer
people work more hours for less pay its essential workers fight back not only against this
practise but against the 'live to work' ideology that underpins it.
We are not our jobs, we have a right to rich rewarding lives that are not dominated by the
endless grind of work stress. It's great to see over 900 workers taking action today in
Dublin, Cork and Shannon to say enough! ---- The workers union IMPACT has just released
the accompanying photo of workers protesting at the HQ and the letter they delivered to
Aer Lingus CEO Christophe Mueller. ---- "Dear Mr Mueller, ---- It is with considerable
regret that our members are engaged in industrial action today.
Every member of cabin crew is proud to be a brand ambassador for this airline, proud to
wear the Aer Lingus uniform, and proud of the reputation for excellent service that Aer
Lingus cabin crew have built up in the course of eight decades of serving the travelling
public.
Today, we?re engaged in this industrial action because our experience has been that our
employer won?t listen to us. For three years we have raised concerns about the erratic
nature of our rosters. We have become accustomed to the chaotic work patterns that are a
direct product of those rosters, to the point where we understand the detrimental effect
they are having on cabin crew, and the corrosive effect that they are having on the
airline too.
What we want to do is talk to our employer about how things can be improved; how we can
apply a fixed roster pattern that will deliver the high level of productivity, set by
Greenfield, without affecting the airline?s cost base.
The fixed roster pattern we?re proposing will also allow for cabin crew to keep within the
EU regulations on duty and block hours, without any necessity for standing crew down for
long periods when those limits are reached. We?re proposing a system that is more
efficient, better planned, more productive, and ultimately much better for crew who can
achieve adequate recovery time between their blocks of duty.
These aren?t outrageous demands, nor are they unreasonable. These are demands that reflect
a desire to improve how the company operates, based on the cumulative experience of the
1,200 dedicated men and women employed as cabin crew by Aer Lingus.
That we?re engaged in a stoppage today is a product of frustration that our proposals have
been dismissed at every opportunity. We want nothing more than to engage in a constructive
dialogue that can solve the problems with the roster. We?ve seen the approach work for our
pilot colleagues, and we?re asking that the progress they?ve achieved be considered as a
model for positive change in how our work is organised."
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