On Friday last Barry O'Halloran had this report in the Irish Times about ongoing talks on pilots' pay between Fórsa and Ryanair. O'Halloran's follow-up report on Saturday had details of a circular to Ryanair pilot members sent by Katie Morgan, head of Fórsa's Services & Enterprises division, alerting members that the airline had misrepresented the progress of the talks.

It's widely reported today that the airline has reported a profit for the first quarter of the year as traffic bounced back strongly following the easing of Covid restrictions. 

Over the weekend the Government promised a 'comprehensive pensions strategy' while the Taoiseach said a broad outline of the deal has been already been finalised by coalition leaders to include keeping the pension age at 66, banning contractual retirement ages, and giving larger pensions to those who retire at 67.

Elsewhere, the SIndo had details of the deal struck between Siptu and Aer Lingus for the company's ground crew,as the Irish Times reports that problems with delayed or mislaid Aer Lingus passengers’ bags may continue for the rest of the summer.

Meanwhile the Business Post reported that the government is planning to hold referendums on a right to housing and the public ownership of water services on the same day. The Indo reports today that buying a home is now out of reach for the average worker.

On the subject of remote work, Lauren Foley writes about exploring Europe while keeping the day job.

Zen

I haven't yet seen Baz Luhrmann's Elvis but I hear good things. I was very sorry to learn that one of it's breakout stars, Shonka Dukureh passed away at her Nashville home at the weekend. Dukureh made her big screen debut in Elvis as Big Mama Thornton, belting out this cracking version of Hound Dog.

I was prompted to check out the Thornton original from 1952, four years before Presley recorded it. The movie is faithful to the original brilliant arrangement, and no doubt it's one of Tom Waits' many sources of inspiration too.

Have a great week.

Niall