More than 120 RYANAIR pilots are to be balloted on strike action next week if the company refuses to negotiate with their union, IMPACT. If the strike goes ahead it would be the first industrial action in the non-union company since the strike by SIPTU baggage handlers in 1998. This led to the temporary closure of Dublin airport.
The dispute has arisen, according to IMPACT, because the company has unilaterally extended the pilots' duty period from 50 hours a week to 55, with a liability for a further five hours in exceptional circumstances.
IMPACT's assistant general secretary, Mr Michael Landers, said yesterday that he had sought a meeting with the company to discuss the issue.
"I would be very pleased to meet with the company," Mr Landers said. "But if such a meeting went ahead, which I think is unlikely, I would tell them we would want the new flight times withdrawn in the meantime."
Mr Landers added that the strike ballot would probably be concluded by the end of next week. Industrial action would initially be limited to some form of work to rule. However, he added that if the company victimised any IMPACT member the action would be escalated to all-out industrial action.
In a statement last night Ryanair said: "As usual the information from IMPACT - the Aer Lingus trade union - is incorrect. Pilots' hours in Ryanair have not been increased and recent changes have further improved our pilots' working hours by introducing daily and monthly limits on total duty time.
"We will as always continue to review these and any other issues directly with our pilots and not with IMPACT - the Aer Lingus trade union."
Most of the company's pilots have been unionised for some years, but the issue of union recognition never arose as the in-house Ryanair pilots' committee and the union pilots' committee were the same people.
Meanwhile IMPACT has also warned Aer Lingus that it will serve strike notice next week in pursuit of a pay claim for 550 pilots if it does not make "substantial progress" in talks on Tuesday. A strike ballot has already been conducted.
The company says it is willing to refer the dispute to arbitration and discuss pay in conjunction with productivity.
A strike ballot of Aer Lingus cabin crew on pay and conditions has also been started by IMPACT, although the workers in question are still the subject of a "poaching" dispute with SIPTU. Talks between the two unions are continuing.