Ryanair and trade union Fórsa have clashed over a pay increase offered by the airline before it agreed to recognise labour organisations last month.
The Irish carrier reversed a long-standing policy by announcing in December that it would recognise unions to avert threatened pilot strikes at Irish and European bases before Christmas.
The carrier is in talks on recognition with the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association – part of Fórsa – but said on Thursday that negotiations were moving slowly.
Separate to that, Ryanair said that a majority of pilots based in Cork, Dublin and Shannon, have agreed to pay increases of up to 20 per cent that it had offered before agreeing to recognise unions.
The company noted that a majority of those based in Dublin, including contractors and new joiners, had accepted the offer, but said 35 per cent of them had not voted on the proposal.
Ryanair said that the company had asked the remaining Dublin pilots to vote on the increase on or before January 17th so that they could receive it with this month’s pay.
Disappointed
“Ryanair is disappointed that no such vote was organised among the remaining 35 per cent of Dublin pilots who will now not receive this pay increase in the January payroll,” the airline said.
Fórsa said that the company has asked Dublin pilots to accept a pay proposal separate to the recognition talks.
“The union has convened meetings with its members in Ryanair, and Fórsa has told management we will ballot on a no-strings pay package as part of an interim measure, pending engagement on pay following completion of a recognition agreement,” the union said.
“As Fórsa is now recognised by the company for collective bargaining, pay must be negotiated with the union.”
Ryanair said that it would continue to communicate with the 35 per cent of Dublin pilots that had not voted on the pay increase in an effort to get them to accept it.
Meanwhile, the Irish carrier said that pilots at all 15 of its UK bases, including Stansted, had voted to accept the pay increases and would receive them this month.
