RYANAIR HAS FAILED in its High Court bid to secure an injunction against pilots beginning industrial action tomorrow in the UK.
The High Court in London refused the airline’s application to halt the 48-hour strike through tomorrow and Friday.
It came just hours after Ryanair was successful in its High Court bid in Dublin to stop strike action from Irish-based pilots on the same days.
In a statement following the decision, the British Airline Pilots’ Association, the union which is backing the pilots in the UK, said it had extended an “olive branch” to Ryanair.
“Mrs Justice Lambert DBE rejected Ryanair’s various technical and legal arguments and agreed that BALPA’s industrial action ballot and procedures were lawful, and so the strike can proceed,” it said.
“BALPA has responded to their legal victory by offering an olive branch to Ryanair – a framework to allow constructive negotiations to take place and if agreed by Ryanair will avoid the need for strikes.”
This week was to see the first of five days of planned industrial action, with three more days planned from the 2 to 4 September.
BALPA’s general secretary, Brian Strutton went on to say “Ryanair was foolish to bring this into the High Court rather than the negotiating room. We offered to meet Ryanair management at ACAS to negotiate a resolution, but instead they attempted a legal bludgeon. That’s backfired.”
He added: “Pilots in Ryanair are seeking the same kind of policies and agreements that exist in other airlines – our demands are not unreasonable.
“We want to address issues like pensions; loss of licence insurance; maternity benefits; allowances; and harmonise pay across the UK in a fair, transparent, and consistent structure.”
Meanwhile in Dublin, Mr Justice Denis McDonald found Ryanair had made out a fair issue that requires to be tried before a full hearing of the court. He said the balance of convenience favoured the granting of the injunction.
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