Talks in the Ryanair pilots’ dispute are due to start today following a fifth one-day stoppage in a month on Friday as part of a Europe-wide series of stoppages.
The negotiations are expected to initially focus on removing the threat of further strikes in return for the airline putting cuts to its Dublin fleet on hold.
Both Ryanair and the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (Ialpa) – part of trade union Forsa – confirmed that they will meet on Monday in a fresh attempt to broker a resolution to the Irish dispute.
Sources said the important first steps would be to get the two sides to back away from further actions which could exacerbate the dispute, the Irish Times reported.
The cuts announced by Ryanair would come into effect as soon as October and could result in the loss or transfer of 300 Dublin-based jobs.
Pilots employed directly by Ryanair in Ireland staged their fifth one-day stoppage in a month on Friday.
Pilots in Belgium, Holland, Germany and Sweden took part in a series of strikes that forced the airline to cancel 396 of 2,400 flights, disrupting 67,000 passengers.