In a common letter signed by around 45 Ryanair bases in Europe (representing around 1500 Ryanair pilots in total), pilots are giving an ultimatum to their management: it’s time for implementing common working conditions and allowing collective representation and fair social dialogue, to ensure a stable and positive future for the company and its employees.

If these conditions are met (Ryanair management has until 22 September 10 AM, Dublin time, to respond to this letter), pilots will make all required efforts and show the necessary flexibility in the coming weeks to minimise cancellations and ensure the highest level of service their customers have always been used to. BeCA welcomes Ryanair pilots’ initiatives and wishes them success in their actions.

On 18 September, Ryanair management sent a memo to all pilots asking them to give up 10 days off until the end of the year & commit to staying one more year in Ryanair (in exchange of a bonus), to prevent more flight cancellations. The pilots rejected massively this proposal and made a few demands instead:

• Set up a regional system with permanent local contracts, subject to the labour law of the respective country
• Ensure similar high level working conditions as in other European airlines, to prevent pilots from leaving the company
• Start negotiations for the signature of new contracts for all pilots by 1 January 2018.

BeCA has been supporting for a long time its Ryanair members who have been asking for fair representation, good working conditions and stable and secure work contracts. Today, pilots are standing together, reaching out to Ryanair management, to build, together, a strong and good airline, which makes its employees proud and happy to be part of it.