UK pilot union seeks to organise ‘company council’ at Ryanair

A trade union of British pilots plans to form a Ryanair company council following requests from members seeking talks on pay and conditions at the airline.

The move follows a series of letters delivered to Ryanair from pilot unions in the Republic and other European countries urging the carrier to enter talks with a new body seeking to represent its pilots.

The British Airline Pilots’ Association (Balpa) has confirmed that it intends establishing a Ryanair company council following requests from members of the airline’s employee representative councils at UK bases.

The UK is one of Ryanair’s biggest markets, accounting for about 40 million of its passengers every year. It is home to the airline’s largest base, Stansted Airport.

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Balpa general secretary Brian Strutton said the request indicated the "confidence and determination" on the part of the UK representatives who sought the council's formation.

Mr Strutton explained that company councils are national bodies that negotiate with airlines on behalf of pilots’ trade unions.

“Through being part of a union, a company council that is recognised by its airline has legal rights to enable it to negotiate effectively including the union, calling industrial action if necessary; rights that a voluntary body does not have,” he said.

Ryanair pilots have been pushing for talks on new collective agreements with the airline through a group called the European Employee Representative Council, which is backed by unions in the countries where it operates.

Ryanair described the letters received from the unions as worthless and said the company and its pilots ignore them.