Ryanair labor strife threatens to boil over on peak weekend

Ryanair’s summer of simmering industrial strife is set to come to a head next week after the company’s Irish pilots said they’ll walk out on the same days as UK crews following the collapse of pay talks. The double-whammy threatens to shut down flights at bases including London Stansted, Europe’s biggest discount hub, in the run up to Britain’s August bank holiday -- traditionally the busiest weekend of the year for UK travel. CEO Michael O’Leary is grappling with a slew of pay disputes after recognising unions two years ago. Labour relations deteriorated further when he said hundreds of jobs must go and bases close to cope with a possible no-deal Brexit and slower growth after the grounding of Boeing Co.’s 737 Max. Story contains a rundown of the labour spats facing Ryanair across Ireland, Portugal, the UK, Spain and Austria.<br/>