Ryanair Irish crew back temporary 10% pay cut

Fórsa members vote for deal to avoid redundancies at airline

Ryanair’s Irish-based cabin have voted to accept a temporary 10 per cent pay cut as part of a deal designed to save jobs as the airline grapples with Covid-19’s impact on travel.

Trade union Fórsa negotiated an agreement with Ryanair covering pay and other conditions for the airline's 700 directly and agency-employed cabin crew on which they voted this week.

The union confirmed to members on Friday that 62 per cent of a 68 per cent turnout of crew backed the deal in a ballot.

Deal

Fórsa official Ashley Connolly noted that the deal reflected the union's aim of protecting as many jobs as possible in the face of a severe crisis in aviation.

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“This agreement is a product of the difficulties being faced by the aviation industry globally,” she said.

“Our cabin crew members understand the severity of this crisis. They’ve backed an agreement that protects their job and provides for a review of circumstances should they improve sooner than expected.”

Ryanair has pledged to restore pay over four years in return for crew accepting the deal.

The airline has also said that its terms should avoid the need for redundancies among Irish cabin crew.

Along with the pay cut and phased restoration, the agreement provides for rostering changes, part-time working, unpaid leave and maximising Government Covid-19 wage supports as long as they remain available.

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O'Halloran

Barry O’Halloran covers energy, construction, insolvency, and gaming and betting, among other areas