Ryanair's directly employed pilots in Ireland have decided to strike on Thursday August 22 and Friday August 23. The announcement was made by Irish pilots' union Forsa/IALPA after mediated talks failed to lead to an agreement with Ryanair about the union's pay proposals.
Forsa/IALPA had said that in order to prevent the strike, Ryanair management needed to make a counter-proposal by Wednesday August 14 that properly addressed all areas of the union's claim.
However, in a statement issued on the evening of August 14, Forsa/IALPA said, "No such counter-proposal was made at the mediation meeting today."
A Call To Take Falling Airfares And Company Profits Into Consideration
In a separate statement, Ryanair said that it has called on its pilots and the union to return to the mediation with proposals that take falling airfares and company profits into consideration.
Ryanair's chief people officer, Eddie Wilson, stated, "We have done everything in our power to avoid disruption to our flights and our customers' holidays. However, no company can concede to grossly unreasonable demands from its highest paid workers...at a time when the airline industry is in crisis."
Accusations Of Stalling On Talks
Pilots in the Forsa/IALPA trade union voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action last week after accusing Ryanair of stalling on talks since pay demands were submitted in late March.
Ryanair suffered a number of strikes a year ago after a rocky start to its move to recognise unions for the first time, and it is now also facing strike action from its cabin crew in Spain over the company's plans to close several bases in the country.
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