Labour Court recommends 5% pay increase for Irish Aviation Authority air traffic controllers

The Labour Court recommended a 5% pay increase for air traffic control officers at the Irish Aviation Authority, effective from 1 January 2006. Its recommendation, dated 7 December 2007, said the increase would recognise changes under the Northern Oceanic Transition Area and Service Delivery Strategy, subsume an existing 2% allowance and cover changes through the end of 2008. The Irish Municipal, Public And Civil Trade Union argued that a roughly 15% staff reduction, expanded airspace and increased traffic justified higher pay. It also sought increased contributions to the loss-of-licence fund, proposing 3% from the employer and 1% from employees. The Authority disputed that the changes represented added productivity, citing uncertainty over the service strategy's implementation. The Court also recommended that the parties agree on an expert to assess later changes, with the Court able to nominate someone if they could not agree by 31 December 2007.