Ryanair deal with Irish pilots puts an end to strikes – for now

The Ryanair-Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) deal means passengers need no longer fear strikes at the carrier’s bases in the Republic, for the time being at least. Following a dispute that ran for weeks, followed by protracted mediation talks and then a ballot, Ialpa members directly employed by Ryanair voted for an agreement on a system that determines pilot seniority. This in turn will help determine things such as base allocation and transfers, promotion, command upgrades – that is who takes command when 2 captains are flying an aircraft and play a role in allocating annual leave. Ryanair still faces potential disputes in other countries. The European pilot unions remained quiet since the one-day strike early last month, but they have presumably been watching as Irish pilots entered mediation and then voted on their agreement. <br/>