Thursday?s first meeting between Ryanair and the Flight Personnel Union (FPU) will, according to Ryanair, not be the last.
The FPU made it clear, at the meeting, that any hopes to re-open air bases in Denmark depend on Ryanair?s ability to conclude a collective agreement for all its employees.
– We have told Ryanair that our job is to ensure fair conditions for the employees in aviation. This means that Ryanair must conclude a collective agreement for both pilots and cabin crew before they can open bases in Denmark again, says FPU-President, Thilde Waast, adding that;
– It is positive that Ryanair has finally acknowledged that it pays off to treat its staff well. However, right now, we are really just waiting to see what Ryanair wants. -We are ready to negotiate if Ryanair means business.
The union?s demands are the same as in 2015
The union stands firm on the demands which were presented to Ryanair in 2015, when the airline opened a base on Danish soil.
At the time, the Irish company was in no way interested in discussing collective-agreement based terms for its staff and the case went before the Danish Labour Court. The FPU won the case and was therefore entitled to demand that Ryanair concluded a collective agreement covering its employees working in its air bases in Denmark.
Ryanair took the easy way out and closed both bases in Denmark.
However, at today?s meeting, the company had changed its tune. After hearing the FPU?s expectations for a coming collective agreement, Ryaniar?s Chief People Officer announced that he was ready to meet again.
Ryanair acknowledges that a collective agreement must precede base openings
– We made a decision in December to recognise unions at the European level. – Denmark is one of the places where we have limited our options by not recognizing unions. It therefore makes sense to return now to talk to the union, says Eddie Wilson.
According to the Chief People Officer, Ryanair has a good relationship with the FPU. He clearly states that Ryanair is fully in line with the FPU?s precondition for re-opening one or more bases in Denmark.
– This is obviously the reason why we have come today. – It will be a Danish collective agreement, says Eddie Wilson, and confirms that it will be an agreement that covers both pilots and cabin crew.
-We will need to discuss salaries, holidays, rosters – everything that is included in a Danish collective agreement. We find that it makes good sense to reach agreement on these things before we make Copenhagen a candidate for a future Ryanair base, he concludes.
Translated article by Morten Lund Tiirikainen/FPU
Foto:MLT/FPU