In 1996, the Labour Court recommended that Aer Lingus offer 30 temporary cabin crew permanent positions and increase temporary staffing by 40 for 30 weeks. The recommendation was signed on 28 March 1996.
The Services Industrial Professional Technical Union challenged Aer Lingus’s proposal to raise the temporary crew ratio above the 15% limit in the Cahill Plan. The union said temporary staff were being used beyond peak periods and had less job security. Aer Lingus said long-term absences and planned service expansion left it short of crew and that it needed flexibility while assessing new routes.
The Court found substance in the union’s argument that the temporary ratio had not been used as intended. It also found crew numbers inadequate given the business upturn and planned services. It recommended a review by Aer Lingus and the union in October 1996, including temporary crew issues and related employment matters.