TRADE UNION FÓRSA has agreed to attend mediation talks on the Ryanair pilots’ dispute tomorrow afternoon. 

It was reported on Friday that Ryanair pilots in Ireland were to give notice of industrial action, seeking better pay and working conditions, following a vote. 

Of the directly employed Ryanair pilots based in Ireland, 94% backed striking. 

The ballot by Ialpa, a branch of the Fórsa trade union, started on 23 July. It was required to give one week’s strike notice to Ryanair. 

In a statement this afternoon, Fórsa confirmed that it has accepted an invitation from mediator Kieran Mulvey to attend talks. 

The union said that the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) had submitted a 30-page proposal to Ryanair management in March of this year, “which sought pay levels and structures that are in line with sector norms, and which made detailed proposals on pensions, working conditions and related matters”.

It added that only a substantive and meaningful counter-proposal from Ryanair management, which properly addresses all areas of the union’s claim, would need to be tabled tomorrow to prevent strike action next week.

Ryanair

In response to the ballot results on Friday, Ryanair said it was “disappointed that the pilots union is threatening to disrupt customers’ travel plans during August”.

The airline claimed the ballot did not represent the views of the majority of its Irish pilots and has “no valid mandate”.

Ryanair said it had engaged in a mediation process since 2018 which has delivered “collective agreements on promotions, transfers, seniority and most recently (April 2019), a pay increase of up to 20% for those Irish pilots who had not agreed this 20% increase in 2018″.

It said the union has not indicated what level of pay increase it is seeking “at a time when Ryanair pilots resignations have dwindled to zero”.

TheJournal.ie has contacted Ryanair for an updated statement. 

With reporting by Michelle Hennessy