Ryanair pilots to establish European union

Ryanair pilots are planning to to establish the first ever pan-European trade union.

The Ryanair European Pilots Association will span all 11 bases owned by the Dublin-based no-frills airline and will be used as a negotiating tool to fight for better pay and work conditions.

More than half of Ryanair pilots are already members of the British Airline Pilots Association (BALPA) and the Irish Airline Pilots Association (IALPA), but sources said they hope the new alliance will act as a Europe-wide umbrella group, giving staff a strong platform to discuss terms and conditions.

The association will launch a website for members and offer free membership for the initial six months. Pilots will be allowed to retain membership of the other pilot unions, it was confirmed.

“This is an attempt to have a body which will represent people in a variety of trade unions and bring them together as a single organisation,” a union source said.

“Ryanair is hateful of any staff being associated in any shape or form with any union and this new alliance will deliver the message that pilots are getting mobilised and will act together.”

Ryanair chief Michael O’Leary dismissed the idea as a “PR stunt” and claimed the move was nothing more than a desperate bid by the unions to get publicity and recognition.

“I recognise the right of staff to join trade unions,” he said. “But what we have always said is that as long as the company is doing well we will pay them more and give them access to share options. Ryanair is not anti-union it is simply pro-employee.”

He claimed Ryanair paid its pilots more than any other European airline, with the average salary €50,582. But a BALPA spokesman said this was “utterly untrue”, claiming the same variables were not being compared.

“What it comes down to is how much individual pilots take home in their pockets for every hour they work,” he said. “There is no way Ryanair pilots are being paid the most – far from it.”

Mr O’Leary’s comments are unlikely to halt already well-developed plans to establish the alliance.

Ryanair employs 600 pilots and the relationship has been stormy for some time, with unions claiming moves to secure recognition have been blocked at every turn. In August many employees boycotted information meetings held by Mr O’Leary in London.

Last month the International Transport Workers Federation, which had been examining Ryanair’s work practices, launched a website for staff to air grievances and complaints anonymously.

An information flyer compiled by IALPA earlier this year was reportedly removed from pilot’s pigeon holes by the company before Irish pilots were sent letters warning their careers were at stake.

Union sources claim cutbacks have forced Ryanair’s pilots to foot the bills for routine medical examinations and uniforms.

They also say pensions have been frozen and Ryanair no longer provides pensions for new recruits, but a Ryanair spokeswoman denied the allegations.

In early 1998 Dublin airport was shut down for the first time in history following a union recognition dispute between Ryanair and Ireland’s largest trade union SIPTU.

At the company’s AGM in Dublin today, Mr O’Leary claimed the airline was number one for passenger growth, punctuality, the fewest cancellations and the fewest lost bags.

He said they expected to overtake Lufthansa within the next 12-14 months to become the largest international scheduled carrier in Europe.

The chief executive also said more than 100 new aircraft would be delivered over the next five years. This year the low-cost carrier expects to carry 27.5 million passengers and aims to maintain that growth for the next four years.s