It’s rubbish when things get in the way of your holiday, but the rights of Ryanair pilots are more important than your week in the sun

Disruptions to holidays aren’t fun, whatever the reason. Now, let’s just hope the intransigence of Ryanair senior management doesn’t spoil any further getaways, and the staff at Ryanair are given reasonable terms and conditions

Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary characterises the present industrial unrest in Ryanair as being contained to a relatively small number of disreputable workers who are ‘having strikes for the sake of having strikes’ (EPA)

Today, Ryanair has been forced to cancel hundreds of flights as pilots in Belgium, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands and Sweden hold a 24-hour strike, throwing summer holidays into chaos. Yet this is not the first Ryanair pilot strike. For many months now, staff have been fighting for better pay and conditions against a stubborn management accused of not taking seriously staff concerns or their right to strike. To avoid future travel and holiday disappointment for passengers, Ryanair must meaningfully address the grievances of its staff.

Today’s strike follows similar action taken in July of this year, which was similarly provoked by management’s failure to address staff concerns and grievances. In December 2017, under pressure from workers, Ryanair was forced to recognise trade unions. But subsequent improvements in working conditions have been slow, with few concrete improvements in pay or working conditions for most staff. Furthermore, unions claim that Ryanair is not acting in good faith with staff during industrial disputes and allege that Ryanair is using tactics to unfairly deter workers from taking strike action.

Michael O’Leary, Ryanair Chief Executive’s, notoriously once claimed he would rather cut his hands off than recognise trade unions. He has also said he is willing to see small, short term disruption to protect the low cost, low fare business model of Ryanair. O’Leary characterises the present industrial unrest in Ryanair as being contained to a relatively small number of disreputable workers who are “having strikes for the sake of having strikes”.

Unsurprisingly, the organisation’s response has been hostile towards those engaged in strike action. There have been threats of moving jobs and aircraft, alongside the deployment of other tactics to deter workers from taking strike action. Such tactics have included threats to strip crews of productivity bonuses, and to worker’s promotion prospects. Given the attitude of Ryanair’s senior management, it is easy to see why industrial relations at the company have failed to improve. Indeed, management’s reaction to the strikes and to striking staff seems to have reinforced the complaints made by staff that the company is averse to improving conditions for staff or taking their grievances seriously.

Traditionally, Ryanair was able to circumvent widespread disruption amongst its staff by brokering different deals across the various countries it flies between. But over the last 12 months, this tactic has proved fruitless in avoiding industrial coordination between staff and strike action. Moreover, the hostile stance adopted by Ryanair, along with its historic failure to recognise unions, leaves it with little experience to draw on for a more consultative form of management.

It would be a disaster for Ryanair staff, passengers, and ultimately the company itself to allow senior management to continue with the notion that they can ride out what they present as a short-term mindset amongst some of its staff. Rather, senior management needs to develop a more sophisticated and enlightened set of management practices and better terms and conditions for their staff. As it stands, the strikes have already proved disruptive for passengers, and could escalate. As was demonstrated in December, when the pilot strikes were averted by union recognition, Ryanair staff are not out to wreck the company; they simply want to improve their working lives. A similar commitment to improving their working lives from management could prevent further travel chaos for holiday makers.

The recent ballots in favour of industrial action by Ryanair staff seem to be entirely of Ryanair’s own making. Likewise, the delivery of better industrial relations with their staff appears to be within Ryanair’s gift. Disruptions to much anticipated holidays are rubbish, whatever the reason, no matter how much you might sympathise the workers’ cause. Let’s hope the intransigence of Ryanair senior management doesn’t spoil any further holidays, and the staff at Ryanair get the reasonable terms and conditions.

Jo Grady is a senior lecturer in employment relations at the University of Sheffield