The Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) has agreed to attend talks at the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) in an effort to resolve a dispute over union recognition and pay with cargo airline ASL Ireland. The decision comes as pilots plan strike action that could disrupt parcel deliveries during the busy Christmas period.
IALPA stressed that agreeing to attend talks does not suspend the threatened industrial action. Pilots who are members of the union are set to take part in a 16-hour strike from 5pm on Tuesday, with pickets at the airline’s Dublin headquarters and its Leipzig office. A second 16-hour stoppage is scheduled for Thursday, while further strike action is planned for December 22-24.
ASL Airlines Ireland, which provides cargo and parcel distribution services for Amazon, UPS, DHL, and FedEx, warned that the industrial action could cause major disruptions during one of the company’s busiest periods of the year.
“Our members have engaged with the company in good faith for weeks with the clear aim of securing a recognition agreement and beginning negotiations on a collective labour agreement,” said IALPA Vice-President Captain Daniel Langan. “Instead of engaging, ASL has chosen to walk away from the table multiple times. We welcome the intervention of the WRC and hope to find resolution for our members.”
The dispute revolves around union recognition and negotiations over a collective labour agreement. ASL has said it has made multiple attempts to engage with IALPA but reached an impasse. On Friday, the airline requested the services of the WRC in a bid to avert strike action.
“Consequently, the airline hopes that conciliation talks in the WRC is the most appropriate way to find a mutually acceptable solution,” ASL said in a statement. “ASL Airlines Ireland has written to IALPA asking that they accept an invitation to talks in the WRC, and to suspend their strike notice to allow these talks to proceed to resolution.”
ASL said the current impasse centers on the company’s desire to avoid any commercial conflict of interest between negotiators for the pilots and the airline. The airline emphasized that it remains committed to resolving the dispute through dialogue and hopes the WRC talks will provide a framework for agreement.
With the Christmas period approaching, the dispute has raised concerns among customers relying on timely deliveries from major logistics companies. The outcome of the WRC talks will be closely watched, as any failure to reach an agreement could further disrupt cargo services across Ireland and Europe.
The pilots’ union and ASL are now preparing for the WRC sessions, which are expected to provide a platform for negotiations aimed at ending the deadlock and avoiding further industrial action.
