Aer Lingus employees yesterday insisted they would struggle to manage childcare for their families under the new rosters as their strike enters its turbulent 11th day.
Cabin crew fear the longer shifts that the airline wants to introduce will leave their children in a vulnerable position when it comes to childcare arrangements. Over 200 cabin crew have now been taken off the payroll for refusing to work the new arrangements. The dispute is expected to intensify over the next few days, causing further flight cancellations.
The airline began disciplinary proceedings against staff members who have refused to work under the new arrangements, which a substantial amount have families, says Impact, the trade union representing cabin crew.
The new roster arrangements would see staff timetables increase by another 20 hours a year. The situation could arise where the employees are asked to go in at 10am but told they were not required to work until 1pm and they would finish three hours later in the day. This would have a serious knock-on effect for families as staff would have to scramble for alternative childcare arrangements.
The airline has said that it will now meet with the unions………