Ryanair strike to affect 2,500 passengers on Tuesday

Pilots picket airline HQ as second one-day stoppage gets under way

Ryanair pilots on the picket line outside Ryanair Headquarters in Swords on Friday

Ryanair says that next Tuesday's planned strike by Irish-based pilots will hit an estimated 2,500 passengers.

Members of the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) - part of trade union Fórsa - plan their third strike at the airline on Tuesday 24th.

Pilots picketed the airline's headquarters in Swords, Co Dublin on Friday as they held their second one-day stoppage in a dispute over base transfers, promotions, leave and other issues.

Ryanair has already said that it will cancel 16 of a total of 290 flights on Tuesday as a result of the third strike. Only a number of flights from Ireland to the UK will be hit.

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An airline statement said that the company had contacted the 2,500 passengers affected to offer them alternative flights or refunds.

Ryanair accused Ialpa-Fórsa of sitting on its hands and not contacting the company since the sides last met on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Ryanair said that it has recognised Italian union, FIT CISL as a joint negotiating body for cabin crew along with Anpac and Anpav, with which it already has agreements covering directly employed staff.

At the same time, its contract agencies, Dublin-based Crewlink and Workforce, which employ cabin crew working on Ryanair flights, have agreed recognition deals with all three unions.

The news follows Ryanair's announcement this week that it has recongised Ver.di in Germany as the representative of directly-employed cabin crew on craft operating in that country.

Eddie Wilson, Ryanair's chief people officer, said that the airline hoped to sign further agreements in coming weeks.

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O’Halloran covers energy, construction, insolvency, and gaming and betting, among other areas