Ryanair: Irish airline ready to recognise pilot unions, amid rising pressure

Announced on 15 December, Ryanair’s surprising decision to U-turn and offer recognition of pilot unions is a reaction to an unprecedented social front of pilots from across Europe, who threatened to organise strike action, which would have been the first such instance in the company’s history, across numerous European countries – UK, Ireland, Portugal, Italy, Spain and Germany – during the busy Christmas period. To avoid such a catastrophic situation, the airline’s boss Michael O’Leary, who has always been opposed to social dialogue, opened the door for the first time to recognising trade unions. Ryanair management will also meet with a union for the first time, in Ireland on Tuesday, with other meetings set to follow at the start of January in various European countries.

“If the best way to achieve [a suspension of the strike] is to talk to our pilots through a recognised union process, then we are prepared to do so,” this was the shock statement made by Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary at the end of last week. It was a surprising move in favour of social dialogue that sought to quell the threat of a historic walkout by pilots,…

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