Ryanair pilots get paternity leave in carrier's first labour pact

Ryanair signed its first-ever union contract, granting Italian pilots perks such as severance pay and parental leave in a deal the airline hopes to repeat across its network to quell a protracted labor dispute. The agreement also commits Ryanair to making contributions to national health care and social-security funds, the Italian pilots union ANPAC said Tuesday in a statement. A “wide majority” backed the agreement after eight months of negotiations, it said. Winning over Italian pilots should bolster Ryanair’s hopes ahead of similar negotiations with unions elsewhere in Europe, and limits the extent of any future industrial action that has already led to more than a thousand cancellations this summer. A similar so-called collective labour agreement has been put to flight-deck crew in Ireland for approval after a breakthrough in negotiations last week. “We welcome this first CLA with our Italian pilots and hope that it will be shortly followed by a similar agreement covering our Irish pilots,” Ryanair Chief People Officer Eddie Wilson said. “We have invited our UK, German and Spanish unions to meet with us in the coming days.”<br/>