Impact, the union representing Ireland-based pilots, has agreed to meet the low-cost carrier’s management and rescind strike action set for Wednesday

This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Ryanair pilots have suspended a pre-Christmas one-day strike, according to the union Impact which represents its Ireland-based pilots.

The union, which says the dispute is about winning independent representation for pilots in the company, has agreed to meet the low-cost carrier’s management on Tuesday evening ahead of the planned strike on Wednesday.

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The dispute involves 117 directly-employed Ryanair pilots, who make up the majority of the firm’s captains in Ireland – meaning any walkout would have severely affected flights.

Impact said: “Impact has this evening suspended a planned one-day strike of Ryanair pilots next Wednesday after company management agreed to recognise the union as the representative of Irish-based pilots.

“The union has agreed to meet management on Tuesday evening, but says it is available to meet sooner. The union asked management to release its Ryanair pilot representatives to prepare for and attend the meeting. The union acknowledged the principled determination of Ryanair pilots, which it said had made this breakthrough possible, and said it looked forward to establishing a positive relationship with Ryanair company management.

Impact said it hoped the suspension of industrial action would remove any uncertainty for passengers intending to travel on Wednesday.

Impact said the union would make no further comment until after Tuesday’s meeting.

Ryanair said it would recognise unions for the first time as it also faces challenges from staff in Germany, Portugal, Britain and Italy. The firm’s chief operations officer, Peter Bellew, said: “Let’s keep talking. Get people home quietly for Christmas. Union meetings planned next week and January.”

It is the only time that the airline’s boss, Michael O’Leary, has extended such an invitation to union leaders in the 32 years that Ryanair has been in business.

In October, O’Leary wrote to his airline’s pilots to offer them better pay and conditions after Ryanair was forced to cancel thousands of flights. The carrier admitted it had “messed up” the planning of its pilots’ holidays.