Ryanair has a formal recognition agreement with the British Airline Pilots Association, who will now be the sole representative body for Ryanair employed pilots in the UK.
This agreement follows extensive negotiations with BALPA since Ryanair’s December announcement that it was willing to recognise unions for collective bargaining purposes.
While these recognition negotiations were continuing with BALPA, the six remaining Ryanair UK bases (including Stansted) voted – in secret ballot – to accept pay increases of up to 20 per cent.
Welcoming the recognition agreement, Ryanair chief people officer, Eddie Wilson, said: “This agreement validates the decision of Ryanair’s board in December to recognise unions, and the fact that we have delivered pay rises of up to 20 per cent and union recognition for our pilots in our largest market, shows how serious Ryanair is about working constructively with unions that are willing to work constructively with us.”
He concluded: “Today’s agreement between Ryanair and BALPA shows that Ryanair can work with unions that wish to work with us to promote the interests of both our pilots and our customers.”