Historic Shift as Ryanair Set to Recognise Unions

Ryanair is to recognise pilot unions for the first time in its 32-year history in an attempt to prevent strikes by pilots in the run-up to Christmas

Michael O’Leary’s refusal to recognise unions was at the heart of the low-cost model he developed to turn a small Irish regional airline into Europe’s largest carrier by passenger numbers.

The Chief Executive has frequently dismissed pilots’ complaints and insisted on pay negotiations being conducted through company-controlled representative committees at individual bases.

However, a shortage of pilots led the airline to cancel a swathe of flights earlier this year, shifting more power to staff.

in a statement, Michael O’Leary said: “Recognising unions will be a significant change for Ryanair, but we have delivered radical change before.”

“We hope and expect that these structures can and will be agreed with our pilots early in the new year.”

The company said it was urging the Irish pilots’ union, Ialpa, to call off threatened industrial action on Wednesday “so that our customers can look forward to travelling home for Christmas without the threat or worry of pilot strikes hanging over them”.

Ialpa, a branch of the Impact union, said it had received a letter from Ryanair and was considering the contents, and would respond to the company later on Friday.

Should the strike take place, it would be the first in Ryanair’s history.

Ryanair said it had also written to pilots’ unions in the UK, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Spain and Portugal, inviting each of them to talks to recognise the unions as the representative body for the airline’s pilots in each country.

The airline said it would only recognise the unions as long as they established “specific committees of Ryanair pilots”.

Pilots in Germany had voted to take industrial action during the Christmas period over pay and conditions. Italian and Portuguese pilot unions have also threatened strikes in the coming days.

news