Chris Bryden & Michael Salter on the employee fallout from the eruption
The potential effects of the eruption of the Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland are far more widespread than simply the recent grounding of much of the world’s fleet of airplanes.
The effect of the eruption on employment relations is probably greater than that of the snow in the early part of 2010; the effects are wider, the impact longer and the prognosis less certain. While the snow that blanketed much of the UK had a varying impact on a regional basis, the impact of the ash cloud that spread across much of Europe is multinational and potentially long term. Its impact has affected employees and employers beyond the boundaries of the nation’s airports and the airline companies’ share price, with stock, employees and contractual obligations often at the wrong end of a plane journey.
Though the world’s flight hubs are now thrumming with activity as frantic efforts take place to undo the damage caused by the delays seen over the past week, the disruption may not be merely temporary
