Just a month after cabin crew at a major Aer Lingus base in Manchester voted to go on strike, the Irish flag carrier has warned staff that it might now exit the city with the potential loss of more than 200 jobs.
Aer Lingus created the Manchester base in 2021 to operate long-haul flights from the city to popular destinations like Orlando and New York, following the collapse of leisure airline Thomas Cook.
At the time, Aer Lingus had spare long-haul aircraft that would have otherwise gone unused, so the opportunity to compete against Virgin Atlantic on non-stop long-haul flights from Manchester seemed to be a great business strategy.
Aer Lingus hired hundreds of local cabin crew and ground staff to operate its long-haul flights from Manchester, but in recent months, these workers have been fighting for pay rises because they are struggling to afford basics like housing and bills.
Last month, cabin crew rejected a 9% pay rise on basic salaries, saying the proposal didn’t come close to covering the shortfall in their living costs.
Just a couple of weeks later, around 130 crew voted in favor of taking strike action, and since then, there have been 11 days of strikes.
The strikes have had little effect in getting Aer Lingus back to the bargaining table, with the Irish flag carrier accused of “union busting” but bringing in its Dublin-based crew to operate the disrupted long-haul flights.
How has Aer Lingus been ‘union-busting’?
While Manchester-based cabin crew have been on strike, the airline has still been trying to operate as many of its scheduled long-haul services as possible.
In some cases, the airline has just used non-striking cabin crew, but in other cases, the carrier has threatened to use its Dublin-based crew by flying passengers on disrupted flights to Ireland, where they would then connect onto replacement long-haul flights.
Now, however, Aer Lingus says that it might end up closing its Manchester long-haul base altogether because it is struggling to make the operation profitable.
In an email to staff members obtained by the Irish Independent, the airline’s chief executive warned that the operating margin on Manchester long-haul flights “significantly lagged” its long-haul flights out of Ireland.
In an internal memo, the airline warned that the operating margin disparity “makes it difficult to justify further investment in the Manchester base and raises the question as to whether there are potentially better alternative uses of the two aircraft that are in the Manchester base.”
Rather than continuing talks with the Unite Union over potential pay rises, the airline has now opened formal discussions on a collective consultation process that could see mass lay-offs.
“This process will explore all the options in respect of the base, however, staff were also advised that it will also include the possibility of a base closure,” an internal note explained.
It added: “We acknowledge and fully appreciate that this is an uncertain and difficult time for colleagues based in Manchester and we will work closely with the management team and the staff in Manchester over the coming weeks, ensuring that they are kept fully informed and supported.”
The Unite Union, which represents the striking workers, is yet to publicly respond to the bsse cloure threat.
Last month, however, the union’s general secretary slammed Aer Lingus, saying it was “outrageous” that the carrier was allowing cabin crew to struggle financially, while it made big profits.
Matt’s Take
My take as a flight attendant: It’s difficult to view this decision from Aer Lingus as anything other than a very blunt negotiating strategy in the ongoing wage dispute with its Manchester-based staff.
Of course, Aer Lingus really could be thinking that there is a better way to deploy these long-haul aircraft, but the timing sure does seem coincidental.
As part of the Spanish-based IAG Group, Aer Lingus was already chosen as the best fit airline to operate long-haul flights out of Manchester because its operating costs were much lower than those of fellow IAG airline British Airways.
Presumably, Aer Lingus is hoping to secure a wage deal with workers that will allow it to keep its Manchester base open on its terms. If that’s not possible, does IAG want to abandon its long-haul ambitions out of the North of England altogether?
