Ryanair boss Michael O’Leary has said that he fully expects some members of airline staff to strike over the Easter holidays as talks with some unions begin to stall.
Speaking at a press conference in Portugal, the airline’s CEO said he expects there to be a strike in either Ireland or Portugal during Easter week, one of the airline’s most popular periods of the year, as holidaymakers make a dash for the sun.
When talking about the current problems he is encountering in union consultations O’Leary said he would rather see bookings fall because of the uncertainty around a strike than give in to “laughable” union demands in respect of their pilots who are asking for their conditions to mirror those enjoyed by high cost rivals.
Ryanair has already had strikes in Germany and now it looks as if there could be more on the horizon as O’Leary gears up to facing off his airline unions.
Meanwhile some pilots have complained of a toxic working atmosphere at Ryanair and a lack of trust between staff and management.
They say they will refuse a unilateral offer of a pay rise unless they get assurances that it won’t impact future talks on pay and conditions.
