Ryanair pilots have written to CEO Michael O'Leary seeking to negotiate pay and conditions collectively rather than through the present system of negotiations with each of the airline's 86 individual bases.
In a letter entitled "A collective message to our CEO", signed by 59 pilots representing their colleagues, they say they refuse to be divided any longer into 86 separate groups across Europe.
They say the current negotiating system was imposed by management but has never served their interests, adding that it is time for this "failed" arrangement to stop.
They deny they are forming a Ryanair pilots' union - but stress that in future, they will decide for themselves how they wish to be represented.
They note Ryanair management can engage any legal, financial or other experts they require to advise on their activities, without any restriction on how they represent the company in negotiations.
The pilots assert they expect the same respect from the airline, and will seek their own expert advice on legal, financial and negotiation practices to inform their future interactions with the company.
They say their aim is have equality at the negotiating table and to independently verify their contractual arrangements comply with the laws of the countries in which they are based.
They claim that an overwhelming majority of pilots' contracts provide that they can be moved to any of the 86 bases in Europe, without notice, without any relocation payments, and without any indication of
what agreements are in place for each base.
They also accuse management of being out of touch with the pilots' concerns, and of ignoring previous correspondence outlining those concerns.
The pilot representatives tell Ryanair they will soon complete a Conditions and Pay Proposal document, and says these terms must be negotiated and addressed if the airline is to have a chance of retaining and recruiting pilots in the future.
They ask CEO Michael O'Leary why so many pilots are leaving the airline if pay and conditions are "industry leading".
They claim the pay and conditions of Ryanair pilots are not aligned with industry standards.
They also raise their continuing concern that the underlying reasons for the cancellation of flights have not been addressed - adding they cannot be resolved without "respectful, meaningful and direct negotiations with the pilots' chosen representatives".
They say: "Dictating to pilots how we should represent ourselves will not rebuild trust".
This evening, Ryanair dismissed the letter as "meaningless", and reiterated that it will not engage with the EERC or any other group "fronting" for pilot unions of competitor airlines.
The company denied the pilots' assertion that the current base ERC negotiating system was "imposed by management", saying it was agreed and utilised by both Ryanair and all its pilot bases for the past 25 years.
It also noted that the Irish Supreme Court has ruled that the Base ERC system meets all the requirements of a sophisticated collective bargaining process and has done so for over 25 years.
It said while pilot unions continue to send meaningless letters to the media, Ryanair has agreed new pay deals with over 15 ERC bases, bringing their pay above €150,000 - 20% higher than their colleagues in Jet 2 or Norwegian Air.
Ryanair said it was "inundated" with applications from pilot union members in Monarch, Air Berli,n and many other facing redundancy or pay cuts because of the failure of those pilot unions, and has now recruited over 1,000 new pilots in 2017.
