Pilots at Emerald Airlines, the carrier which holds the regional franchise for Aer Lingus, have today served notice of industrial action on the airline in response to an ongoing trade dispute.
The pilots are members of IALPA, a branch of the Fórsa trade union.
The union has accused Emerald of failing to engage with IALPA on forming a collective labour agreement for pilots.
The industrial action will begin from Saturday 24 June, commencing with a rolling and strict work-to-rule, which includes not working off days, no overtime and not working other out of hours duties.
The union has advised Emerald Airlines that it reserves the right to escalate the industrial action and will provide them with the required notice should this occur.
IALPA officer Daniel Langan said pilots were surprised at Emerald’s refusal to engage with the union.
“Other airlines that previously refused to engage with unions are now happy to negotiate with them to achieve the certainty and stability of a collective labour agreement,” Mr Langan said.
“The employer’s refusal to engage is why this action is now necessary,” he added.
IALPA said that the union remains available for meaningful and solution-focused engagement.
When an industrial action ballot was announced last month, Emerald Airlines described it as an unnecessary development and said it was surprised by the move.
The airline said at the time that it was actively engaged in direct dialogue and negotiations with its staff through internal discussions with pilot employee representatives.
Emerald Airlines operates regional flights, including the public service obligation Dublin to Donegal service on behalf of Aer Lingus.
Emerald also operates UK provincial routes including Bristol, Birmingham and Edinburgh, trading as Aer Lingus Regional.