Ryanair pilots case may end up as binding ruling

A Labour Court finding that would be binding on Ryanair could result from a case taken by the Irish Airline Pilots Association, a division of IMPACT.

The union is seeking a ruling in relation to the pilots' right to training for the company's new fleet before new pilots are employed to fly the aircraft.

A case has been taken to the Labour Relations Commission (LRC) under the new Industrial Relations (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 2004.

A spokesman for IMPACT said that if Ryanair refuses to engage with the LRC then a case could be taken to the Labour Court.

If the company refuses to engage with that court then the union can seek a legally binding ruling from the court.

All of this process, if it does go ahead, could take six months or more. A spokesman for Ryanair would not say if the company would be taking part in the LRC or Labour Court discussions.

"Ryanair recognises the right of all individuals to join a trade union and the right of all individuals to negotiate directly with Ryanair," he said. He would not comment further.

The company has a policy of not dealing with trade unions. The Irish Airline Pilots Association represents approximately 80 per cent of the airline's Irish pilots, according to the IMPACT spokesman.

The provisions of the new act arose from the Sustaining Progress discussions between the social partners and are the outcome of the partners' discussions on union recognition.

The legislation has already been used in a case involving Meteor and the Communications Workers' Union. In that case a binding determination was issued.

Ryanair has a history of rejecting attempts by trade unions to represent its workers.

Last month IALPA and its UK counterpart, BALPA, formed the Ryanair European Pilots' Association to give pilots a "united voice" in their dealings with the airline "and in particular its chief executive", Mr Michael O'Leary.

The airline responded by saying it would continue to deal directly with its employees.

Meanwhile, Ryanair yesterday announced that Liverpool's John Lennon Airport is to be its 12th base in Europe. The company is to invest $240 million (€184 million) in four new Boeing 737-800 series aircraft to be based in Liverpool.

It will operate nine new European routes from Liverpool to destinations in Ireland and mainland Europe.

The new routes include Cork and Shannon as well as Barcelona, Nimes, Pisa and Venice.

The managing director of the Liverpool airport, Mr Neil Pakey, said the move by Ryanair would see an additional one million passengers use the airport next year and would lead to 1,000 jobs being created in the region's economy.