Italian pilots approve deal with Ryanair

ROME, Aug 28 (AFP): Italian pilots have approved an agreement over working conditions with Ryanair in the first such deal the strike-hit low-cost aviation giant has fully concluded.

The agreement, reached earlier this month following eight months of talks, gives Italy-based pilots working for Ryanair "protection and guarantees", according to the ANPAC union which negotiated the collective work contract.

"The contract was submitted for approval by the more than 300 pilot members and after a tallying of the results (Monday night) the contract received a very large majority" of votes, said the union.

The agreement is the first that Ryanair has signed and which has been been approved by union members since the Irish airline caved in last year and said it would recognise trade unions.

The reversal came amid rising discontent among the airline's staff, which have continued to strike as negotiations dragged on.

Earlier this month, Ryanair pilots across Europe staged a coordinated 24-hour strike to push their demands for better pay and conditions, plunging tens of thousands of passengers into transport chaos at the peak of the busy summer season.

In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.

Ryanair welcomed the first approval of a collective work agreement among its pilots, and said it hoped Irish pilots would also soon approve their agreement, which was concluded last week.