Ryanair cabin crew will be represented by a trade union for the first time

Over 65% of Ryanair cabin crew are now covered by union recognition agreements.

Ryanair has announced that it has signed its fourth cabin crew union recognition agreement with Fórsa, who will be the representative body for Ryanair’s directly employed cabin crew in Ireland.

The agreement was signed on Tuesday by Fórsa officials, cabin crew representatives and Ryanair management. This would make the trade union the sole negotiating union for directly-employed Ryanair cabin crew in Ireland. The announcement – which was made on Thursday morning – marks a defining moment for Ryanair cabin crew as they set to be supported by a union body for the first time.

It follows Ryanair’s cabin crew recognition deals with the Italian ANPAC, ANPAV and Fit-Cisl unions, UNITE the union in the UK and the Ver.di union in Germany.

This comes after months of back and forth between the airline and trade union, resulting in a series of strikes and dozens of flights cancellations throughout the summer.  

“We are pleased to sign this cabin crew recognition agreement with Forsa in Ireland," Ryanair’s Chief People Officer, Eddie Wilson said at the briefing.

"We look forward to working closely with both Forsa and their Company Council to address issues of concern to our directly employed Irish based cabin crew.

"This is a further sign of the progress Ryanair is making with trade unions since our December 2017 decision to recognise unions, with over 65% of our cabin crew now covered by recognition agreements and we hope to sign more agreements in the coming weeks.”

Meanwhile, Ryanair has announced that it is to end its long-standing practice of allowing passengers to take a 10kg piece of hand luggage for free, instead charging between €6 - €10 for the service from November. From 1 November, a fee will be charged to passengers who wish to bring a second piece of hand luggage on a Ryanair flight, unless they are a priority boarding customer.