Ryanair’s UK Pilots Announce Strike Dates

UK pilots employed by Ryanair are planning a series of strikes this month as part of a row over pay.

Pilots’ union Balpa reported that members had backed walkouts by a majority of 80% on a turnout of 72%.

The pilots are set to walk out for a total of five days, as follows:

• The first stoppage will last 48 hours, from Thursday 22 August until Friday 23 August.
• The second covers three days, from Monday 2 September until Wednesday 4 September

In a statement BALPA said:

“Decades of Ryanair refusing to deal with unions has resulted in two things. Firstly, a management that apparently doesn’t understand how to work with unions, and secondly a company that doesn’t have a number of standard agreements that any union would reasonably expect in any workplace.

“That is why our claim includes many issues including pensions; loss of license insurance; maternity benefits; allowances; and a fair, transparent, and consistent pay structure.

Balpa said pilots did not want to disrupt travel plans and it hoped strikes could be avoided if Ryanair came to the negotiating table.

The airline responded angrily, accusing the union of causing “unnecessary disruption” to customers and having no mandate to strike.

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