Ryanair reaches first-ever union deal with UK pilot pact

Ryanair Holdings recognised the union representing its UK pilots, reaching its first formal labour agreement in the discount airline’s history. The 600 UK pilots directly employed by the carrier will be represented by the British Airlines’ Pilots Association, Ryanair said Tuesday. All 15 of its bases in the market -- the company’s biggest -- have also voted to accept management’s offer to lift pay by 20%. The deal marks progress in Ryanair’s effort to quell labour unrest and improve relations with pilots who threatened to strike last year to gain union recognition. Under pressure, the company reversed its anti-union stance, but talks with some pilot groups, including in Ireland, have moved slowly. The UK accounts for about a quarter of the airline’s pilots and aircraft. The deal shows “how serious Ryanair is about working constructively with unions that are willing to work constructively with us,” Chief People Officer Eddie Wilson said. Still, he warned unions in other markets to “stop wasting time and act quickly” on its proposals. The airline is meeting with labor groups in markets including Ireland, Italy, Belgium, Germany and Spain. The progress in the UK is somewhat offset by “concerns that Ryanair is heading to a showdown” with its Irish pilots, who appear to want to wrap the pay deal into a wider negotiation of working conditions, Mark Simpson, an analyst with Goodbody Stockbrokers in Dublin, said in a research note.<br/>