Ryanair dismisses threat of pre-Christmas strikes

Ryanair pilots in Italy have voted for a short strike on December 15, though the Irish company have shrugged off the threat.

The Italian union ANPAC, which claims to represent 280 Ryanair pilots have called a four-hour strike in the run up to Christmas. Although Ryanair states that the Anpac union plays “no role” in the company and that they have had attempts at a strike before but they have always postponed or cancelled them.

Pilots in Ireland, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands are also forming local labour councils to press for collective bargaining.

The Irish Air Line Pilots Association (IALPA) have warned the company that it is reserving its right to ballot for strike action if Ryanair do not negotiate with the bodies selected by its workers.

Ryanair's chief people Officer Eddie Wilson said in Thursday’s letter to Dublin-based pilots that the IALPA had failed to be recognised as a union in 2007 and it would fail again now.

He has also answered to this threat by warning the pilots that if they support the IALPA’s industrial action they will assume they no longer want to deal with the Employee Representative Committee system and they will withdraw benefits as well as base and annual allowances.

Michael O’Leary, chief executive of Ryanair, recently admitted that the airline needed more pilot numbers and they have been recruiting to ease the problem.

In spite of this, the company believes that the strike in Italy will fall through, following the path of the past six strikes called on by the ANPAC.