Update 1.45pm: Dublin-based airline CityJet has today insisted that flights between Dublin and London will not disrupted by proposed strike action by pilots aligned to the Unite union.
The dates of any strikes have not been announced by the union, other than they will take place before Christmas.
“CityJet today said that it anticipated no disruptions to its flights between Dublin and London City Airport in the lead up to Christmas following a decision of less than a quarter of its pilots based in Dublin to threaten industrial action,” the airline stated.
“CityJet said that the threat of industrial action from members of the Unite trade union only involved a small minority of pilots.
“The airline employs 80 pilots at its Dublin base, with a minority being affiliated to the trade union.”
Earlier:
The Unite trade union has today announced that pilots at Dublin-based airline CityJet are set to strike before Christmas.
Some 82% of pilots represented by the union voted to escalate the limited industrial action commenced in September “on foot of the company’s refusal to allow the WRC to refer the issues in dispute to the Labour Court”, the union stated.
The dates when of any strike dates have yet to be determined.
“In addition to City Jet’s ongoing pay issues and refusal to allow the WRC to refer those issues to the Labour Court – notwithstanding an agreement concluded between Unite and City Jet obliging them to attend the Labour Court – the company is compounding that refusal by threatening to terminate their agreement with Unite in respect of pilot representation,” said Unite Regional Officer Willie Quigley.
“This is a denial of our members’ right to collective representation by the union of their choice.
“Other issues in dispute range from CityJet’s refusal to adequately compensate pilots who are being moved to the Amsterdam base to the imposition of ‘Bond Payments’ to secure a job with the company.
“The resolution of this dispute is in CityJet’s hands.
“If they want to avoid being grounded before Christmas, they must agree to our dispute being referred to the Labour Court, and withdraw their threat to terminate the agreement between Unite and the company.”
