This article is more than 2 years old

This article is more than 2 years old

Ryanair has taken a significant step forward in ending the strikes that have hit its peak-season flights, reaching an agreement with the trade union representing its Irish pilots after a 22-hour session of talks.

Passengers have faced hundreds of flight cancellations this summer because of pilot protests against the slow progress in negotiating collective agreements on conditions, base transfers and annual leave.

Ryanair apologises after compensation cheques bounce Read more

The biggest one-day strike earlier in August resulted in a walkout by pilots in five European countries, disrupting the travel plans of an estimated 55,000 passengers at the height of the holiday season, with Ryanair cancelling around 400 out of 2,400 scheduled European flights.

That action included a fifth 24-hour walkout of the summer by pilots in Ireland, a move that prompted Ryanair to propose fresh talks with the Fórsa union via a mediator that began last week and ended early on Thursday.

Ryanair apologised to customers earlier this week after it emerged that a number of cheques issued to compensate passengers had bounced because they had not been signed.



“The proposed agreement will now go to ballot, with a recommendation for acceptance from Fórsa and its Ryanair pilot representatives,” the pilots’ union Fórsa said in a statement on Thursday, adding that the mediator asked that neither side makes further comment while the ballot is conducted.

Ryanair said it would take the proposals to its board after the Irish-based pilots had voted on the agreement.

Other trade unions mired in negotiations around Europe are watching the Irish talks closely. The Dutch pilots union, VNV, said Thursday’s agreement would not necessarily change its situation as it had “different priorities”.

Ryanair employs more than 4,000 pilots, with around 350 of them based in Ireland. Negotiations in the country have proved among the most difficult, the company has said.

Although Ryanair said pilots were offered a 20% pay rise this year, unions have sought higher salaries to match those at rival airlines. Unions also wish to equalise terms and conditions for the large number of pilots who have been encouraged to work via agencies as contractors, rather than being made employees.

Ryanair workers based in European countries outside Ireland have also been attempting to secure employment on local contracts, rather than the Irish terms the airline prefers.

Ryanair shares jumped 5.4% to €13.855 on news of the deal, although the stock is still down 16% since the strike action ramped up in mid-July, and remains below the €14.21 it slumped to in December when Ryanair shocked markets by agreeing to recognise unions for the first time.



Analysts expressed scepticism that the airline, which has long paid scant attention to traditional industry behaviour and employed staff through third-party schemes that attracted the attention of tax authorities, would easily navigate its first attempt at collective bargaining and maintain its costs at rock bottom.

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Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, who once said he would cut off his own hands rather than negotiate with unions, said he personally instigated the surprise move. However, he has since further angered staff by signalling he would move aircraft from Ireland to Poland, away from strike-hit bases, and then seek redundancies – tactics that unions warned flouted labour laws.

Negotiations with Fórsa have been fraught, with public denunciations from Ryanair earlier this month demonstrating the distance between them, as it accused the union of “irresponsible action, designed to cause the maximum damage to Ryanair” rather than reaching a resolution to the pilots’ concerns.

Cabin crew working for Ryanair have also been on strike in Europe this summer over pay and conditions.