Latest: Ryanair 'disappointed' as pilots back strike action for next Thursday
Ryanair says it’s disappointed by a planned strike by its Dublin-based pilots next Thursday.
120 pilots, who are members of IALPA, were balloted for industrial action, with an overwhelming vote in favour of a 24-hour strike on July 12.
Ryanair says it’s unnecessary as the company has already forwarded draft proposals on union recognition, base transfers and annual leave based on seniority.
Ryanair Irish Customer Notice: pic.twitter.com/t0gyF4OOTC
— Ryanair (@Ryanair) July 3, 2018
The airline said it would contact intending passengers next Tuesday if the strike goes ahead as planned.
"Ryanair will communicate next Tuesday by email and SMS text with all customers travelling from Ireland next Thursday if this unnecessary strike goes ahead," they said in a statement.
"In the meantime, we had again this morning (prior to this strike notice) invited FORSA to meet to resolve these issues at our Airside offices at 10am next Wed. morning and we hope FORSA will take up this 19th invitation to meet.
"Since Ireland accounts for less than 7% of Ryanair flights, we expect that 93% of our customers will be unaffected by any Irish pilot strike next Thursday."
Ryanair pilots have voted to back strike action in their dispute over terms and conditions.
Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) at the budget airline voted overwhelmingly (99%) in favour of industrial action.
The strike is planned for Thursday July 12, for 24 hours.
The union says the Dublin-based carrier is not taking its demands seriously over pay and conditions, issues over seniority and how annual leave is dealt with.
@IALPA @forsa_union_ie Statement on Ryanair members strike ballot. @IFALPA @eu_cockpit pic.twitter.com/A2P8kqiANt
— IALPA (@IALPA) July 3, 2018
The outcome of the ballot could leave holidaymakers facing disruption over the busy summer period.
It came hours after the airline revealed another month of travel misery as air traffic control strikes left more than 210,000 passengers with cancelled flights in June.
It said more than 1,100 flights were axed for the second month running due to air traffic control strikes over four weekends in June, as well as staff shortages in the UK, Germany and France.
A spokesman for Ialpa said: “Our member pilots directly employed by Ryanair complain that there is no transparent system for the determination of important matters including voluntary/involuntary base transfer/allocation, command upgrade, allocation of annual leave and promotion.
“When a pilot receives notice of a mandatory base change, or is denied a request for a change of base, such management decisions can have a devastating effect on family life.”
The union said it remained available and willing to engage on the issues identified in the notice of strike action.
Ryanair pilots will hold a 24-hour strike on Thursday, July 12, from 1 am.
Pilots voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action (99%) in a dispute over management’s approach to transferring pilots between its European and African bases, said the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association and Fórsa in a statement.
The union has advised Ryanair that it will notify the airline of additional strike days in due course.
#Ryanair pilots serve notice of industrial action https://t.co/g7C7afO5uC pic.twitter.com/ckNPyBtHdh
— Fórsa trade union (@forsa_union_ie) July 3, 2018
They said: “Our member pilots directly employed by Ryanair complain that there is no transparent system for the determination of important matters” including “voluntary/involuntary base transfer/allocation, command upgrade, allocation of annual leave and promotion.
“When a pilot receives notice of a mandatory base change, or is denied a request for a change of base, such management decisions can have a devastating effect on family life.”
The union is seeking a ‘seniority agreement,’ to “provide our member pilots directly employed by Ryanair with a fair and transparent mechanism to understand how and why they are in the base they are in, the order in which their turn may come up for a transfer, how and why they received a particular annual leave allocation, or any other decisions that should take due account of their length of service and seniority in the company.”
Pilots at Ryanair have voted in favour of industrial action, after slow progress on union negotiations.
The budget airline agreed to recognise trade unions for the first time last December.
However, pilots are disappointed over the slow pace of talks.
120 of those directly employed by Ryanair have voted for industrial action but it’s not yet clear how passengers will be affected.
IALPA ballot on industrial action at @Ryanair 99% in favour (94 votes in favour from 95 returned).
— Paul Colgan (@paulcolgan) July 3, 2018
Labour Party spokesperson on Transport Kevin Humphreys has called on Ryanair to take the concerns of pilots and the needs of passengers seriously following today’s ballot result.
“Ryanair need to get serious about their working conditions and do what is necessary to avoid a pilots strike,” Senator Humphreys said.
“We are in the peak period of summer travel. If no resolution is reached with the Irish Airline Pilot Association thousands of customers will be discommoded this summer.
“What Ryanair pilots are asking for is commonplace in many airlines and is not unreasonable. Ryanair acknowledged unions for the first time in 2017 to avoid a Christmas strike.
“However, they must realise now that recognising them is not enough, they must now work with them to prevent massive disruption and to do right by their staff and customers.”
