Ryanair and the UK trade union representing pilots have agreed a "historic" recognition deal following years of staunch opposition from the airline towards organised labour. The British Airline Pilots' Association (Balpa) said it had signed a voluntary trade union recognition agreement, with its reps involved in future negotiations on pay, hours, rostering and holidays. Balpa said the move followed Ryanair's announcement before Christmas that it was changing its stance towards unions in the face of threatened strike action. Ryanair said it was willing to enter into discussions about recognising pilots' unions in a number of European countries, including the UK. Under the agreement, Balpa will be recognised as the sole trade union representing all of Ryanair's 600 employed pilots based in the UK.