Ryanair pilot unions in 'several countries' suspend talks: ECA

Ryanair pilot unions in several countries have suspended talks with management in protest at what they see as the airline using the threat of base closures as a bargaining tool in labor talks, the European Cockpit Association (ECA) said Wednesday. The unions include those representing pilots in two of Ryanair's biggest markets, a union source said, declining to name which markets they were. The temporary suspension is a reaction to Ryanair's closure of bases in the Dutch city of Eindhoven and Bremen in Germany and the reduction of capacity in the German region of Niederrhein. The European Cockpit Association in October described the move as a "declaration of war". Ryanair has also threatened to close two bases in the Canary Islands if cabin crew in Spain do not sign up to a collective labor agreement by next week, the ECA said on Wednesday.<br/>