Labour Court rejects Craft Group Of Unions’ Aer Rianta pay claim

In 1996, the Labour Court rejected Craft Group Of Unions’ claim for pay increases at Aer Rianta. Its recommendation was signed on 26 April 1996. The claim concerned craftworkers and technical supervisors at Dublin, Shannon and Cork airports. Their basic pay had been linked since 1967 to craftworkers at Aer Lingus. In 1995, Aer Lingus withheld the final 3.75% phase of the Programme for Economic and Social Progress and the first two phases of the Programme for Competitiveness and Work; Aer Rianta also withheld those increases. Craft Group Of Unions argued the increases were due under the agreements and Aer Rianta could afford to pay them. Aer Rianta relied on the parity arrangement linking the workers’ pay to the outcome at Aer Lingus. The Labour Court found that Aer Rianta had applied the arrangement correctly and rejected the unions’ claim.