Ryanair agrees to meet Irish and German pilots’ unions

Ryanair has agreed to meet with two more unions, this time pilot unions in Germany and Ireland, on Wednesday, December 20. The aim of the meeting is to further confirm that Ryanair is prepared to recognize unions. It is understood that Ryanair has also agreed to meet the Portuguese pilots’ union on Thursday, December 21. Meetings with British and Italian pilots’ unions have already been confirmed for early January.
Ryanair has urged the Irish Air Line Pilots’ Association (IALPA) to cancel already scheduled industrial action this Wednesday, which the carrier describes as “causing unnecessary concern and worry for thousands of Ryanair customers travelling home during Christmas week.”
Currently, Ryanair and IALPA are locked in a standoff, though on December 18th it was hoped that the situation might change with Ryanair agreeing to the demand for union recognition. However, IALPA is demanding a further meeting with Ryanair to clarify a number of issues before calling off the Wednesday strike. The meeting is needed as it is understood that Ryanair has not agreed to meet all the union’s demands.
While Ryanair has agreed to meet with all the individual representative unions, it would appear that the pilots are looking for the creation of “a pan-European representative council.”