Ryanair Chief Executive Michael O'Leary has written to pilots at the airline promising improvements to pay and conditions, including a commitment to benchmark pay against competitor airlines.
However, Mr O'Leary said the changes would only be secured by negotiation through the company's in-house Employee Representative Councils.
In a letter to Ryanair pilots, Mr O'Leary said the company would match and exceed the pay offered by other 737 aircraft operator airlines at any base where the Ryanair rate for pilots was lower.
In the correspondence, addressed to all Ryanair pilots, Mr O'Leary said he was writing to apologise personally to each of them for the disruptions experienced to rosters as a result of the rostering management failure in recent weeks.
Addressing comments he had made about pilots after the company's AGM last month, Mr O'Leary said Ryanair's pilots were the best in the business, worked hard, were well trained and were extremely professional.
In the letter Mr O'Leary promises pilots a loyalty bonus up to €12,000 payable from next month, and promises pilots an improvement in the management of rosters, training, and base selection.
In the letter, Ryanair tells pilots it will deliver "significant improvements to your rosters, your pay, your basing, your contracts and your career progression over the next 12 months".
The letter said Ryanair would exceed the pay and job security offered by rivals such as Jet 2 and Norwegian Air, and that it would negotiate on any differences in conditions between Ryanair's Irish contracts and those offered by local laws at European bases.
In the letter, Mr O'Leary urges pilots who are considering joining a competitor airline to stay with Ryanair.
He says some pilots may have been misguided into believing that Ryanair's employee representative council structure could be pulled down by pilots withdrawing from it.
But he says the only way to change existing agreements is to negotiate through the ERCs, as the company will not deal with third party pilot unions.
O'Leary letter: promises pilots improvement in management of rosters, training, base selection etc #Ryanair
— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) October 5, 2017
O'Leary letter: #Ryanair will neg differences between Irish and local employment benefits into Irish contracts with each base ERC BUT...
— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) October 5, 2017
O'Leary letter: crews will continue to be employed on Irish contracts of employment - Irish law will apply to amended contracts #Ryanair
— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) October 5, 2017
O'Leary letter: "misguided" if pilots think ERC negotiating structure will be pulled down by #Ryanair pilots withdrawing.
— Ingrid Miley (@ingridmileyRTE) October 5, 2017
