Ryanair facing more pressure from pilots
Union ups the ante over possible industrial action
RYANAIR could be facing more disruption after a British union asked pilots pushing for better working conditions whether they would be willing to take industrial action.
The budget airline has so far cancelled around 20,000 flights, citing a shortage of standby pilots.
The crunch has prompted Ryanair to curb its growth plans for next summer and launch a drive to hire hundreds of new pilots and convince those who remain not to leave.
But its retention efforts, including the offer of large pay rises with conditions attached, have so far not been well received by many pilots, who want better working conditions. A majority of pilots at Stansted, Ryanair’s largest base, last week rejected an offer of higher pay. Many Ryanair pilots are employed via third-party agencies, though the airline says a majority are direct employees.
The BALPA union said in a statement yesterday that it was asking pilots whether they would support a group legal action to establish employee or worker rights. ‘The desire amongst pilots to change Ryanair for the better is real,’ BALPA general secretary Brian Strutton said.‘They tell us they are fed-up with the way they are treated and that’s why they are saying no to big pay rises that have been offered by Ryanair management.’
Ryanair, which does not recognise unions, has so far resisted moves by pilots to get the company to take a new approach to industrial relations, saying it already has structures in place for them to negotiate with management.
Ryanair rejected BALPA’s complaints about working conditions as having ‘no validity’. In a statement, it said it was offering pilots wages that are 20% higher than some rivals as well as ‘unmatched job security’.
The issue has highlighted competition among carriers in Europe for staff, although the recent collapse of two airlines, Monarch and Air Berlin, has made experienced pilots available. Norwegian Air Shuttle said yesterday it expected pay levels to rise for pilots as it seeks to compete with rivals for the additional air crew needed to expand its network.
Lufthansa is also looking for new pilots as it expands its Eurowings budget airline and has received applications from pilots already employed by a range of airlines.
Lufthansa’s chief executive, Carsten Spohr, said on Wednesday: ‘I think the pilot shortage is happening on the lowest end of the pay scheme and those who don’t treat their people fairly.’
Analysts will be looking for more information from Ryanair when it reports its results on Tuesday. The airline has persuaded Peter Bellew, the CEO of Malaysia Airlines, to return to his former employer to help deal with the staffing problems as chief operations officer,.
Mr Bellew was director of flight operations at Ryanair until he left in 2014.