PILOTS STRIKE ON AS TALKS BREAK DOWN

Ryanair bosses blasted by union

RYANAIR pilots are set to picket Dublin Airport today as union members stage a one-day stoppage.

The historic first strike by pilots at the budget flier follows a breakdown in talks between their representatives and the airline’s management at Terminal One yesterday.

The carrier cancelled 30 of its 290 flights between the UK and Ireland today, with customers notified of the disruption on Tuesday.

On a day in which union Forsa said there had been “little progress”, there was some agreement on setting up a working group to discuss issues. A Ryanair spokesman said: “Thanks to the efforts of the majority of Irish pilots, we expect limited disruptions other than the 30 Ireland-uk flights already cancelled (whose customers have been re-accomodated). All customers who have not received email or text notifications of flight cancellations should travel to their departure airport as normal.”

The strike was due to start at 1am today, with just over a quarter of Irishbased Ryanair pilots taking part. Forsa’s Niall Shanahan said: “Management made it clear to our delegation they expected the strike to go ahead.

“That position didn’t change and I think the most recent statement from Ryanair reflects that. There was an exploration of the seniority issue.

“The possibility of establishing a working group on the issues was examined and the company presented terms of reference for same.

“The union tabled counter-proposals but at the end of the day there was little progress to report.”

The working group between Forsa and the airline is due to meet every fortnight in coming weeks to discuss the issues.