Labour Court recommends talks on Irish Aviation Authority engineering staff levels

The Labour Court recommended that the Irish Aviation Authority and Amicus (Aviation Technical Officers Association) acknowledge that the agreed engineering complement was reduced to 65 by 1 June 2004 and that the target was met. It also recommended negotiations on a new staffing agreement reflecting the Authority’s operational requirements. The recommendation was signed on 22 July 2005. AMICUS had argued that staffing fell below the agreed level and sought recruitment. The Authority said 65 engineers were not required and forecast that staffing needs would fall from 57 to 52 by 2008. The Court said the agreement could be interpreted in at least two ways and both parties bore responsibility for the resulting confusion.