Xmas chaos averted as Ryanair pilots axe strike
RYANAIR pilots called off their strike action last night, ending fears of Christmas chaos for tens of thousands of travellers.
The carrier is to meet trade union reps tomorrow after a dramatic U-turn by the company will see it recognise unions for the first time in its 32-year history.
Around 120 members of the Irish Airlines Pilots Association/impact union had threatened to strike at Dublin, Cork and Shannon airports on Wednesday.
IMPACT said late on Sunday that management had agreed to recognise the union as the representative of Irishbased pilots. In a statement it added: “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.” Airline bosses had been preparing to publish contingency plans for its passengers today ahead of the threatened industrial action.
A statement on the airline’s website said: “We apologise sincerely to our customers for any worry or concern this threatened action, by a small number of very well-paid pilots, may cause them.
“Rest assured we will do everything we can to minimise disruption.”
Meanwhile, experts questioned if Michael O’leary’s reign as chief executive is coming to an end after the change of tack on recognising unions.
Mark Simpson, an aviation analyst at Goodbody Stockbrokers, said: “This is diametrically opposed to commentary from Michael O’leary so it has raised question marks over his longevity.”
But the airline replied: “Many analysts lack imagination.”