Ryanair signs agreement with Portuguese pilots' union
Ryanair has signed an agreement to end an ongoing dispute with pilots based in Portugal.
The agreement will see the airline provide for seniority and base transfers, with contract negotiations to take place at the end of the month.
Ryanair has also agreed similar arrangements with pilots in the UK and Italy this week, while it is expected to sign a recognition agreement with Spanish pilots shortly.
Ryanair’s Chief People Officer, Eddie Wilson said: “These signed agreements with our pilot unions in Portugal, the UK, Italy and shortly in Spain, demonstrate the considerable progress we’re making in concluding union agreements with our people in our major EU markets.
"The recent wave of airline failures in Europe including Primera Air, Cobalt, Air Azur, and Small Planet (GER), as well as base closures/cuts announced by many of Europe’s major airlines in response to higher oil prices and lower air fares, have given a significant stimulus to these union negotiations over recent weeks.
"Ryanair’s pilots and cabin crew recognise that they enjoy better pay, better rosters, and significantly better job security than their counterparts at many other EU airlines, and we for our part, are recognising and working with unions to conclude agreements which address the major issues of concern to our pilots and cabin crew in all our major EU markets.
"I expect that these agreements in Spain, and Portugal in particular, will encourage the cabin crew unions in both those countries to remove competitor airline employees (who have been blocking progress) and to quickly conclude cabin crew agreements in those countries, as that’s what our Portuguese and Spanish cabin crew are now demanding,” he said.
