Ryanair's Irish union completing ballot on possible strike action

DUBLIN, June 18 (Reuters) - Ryanair's Irish union will complete a ballot of members on Tuesday to decide whether to engage in industrial action, including strikes, if the airline does meet its demands over new working practices.

Europe's biggest budget airline averted widespread strikes before last Christmas by deciding to recognise trade unions for the first time in its 32-year history, but has since struggled to reach agreement on terms in some countries.

It has experienced minor disruption in Germany and Portugal and the Irish Air Line Pilots' Association (IALPA) last month said it would ballot pilots if a new system for dealing with base allocations, promotions, and leave was not introduced.

IALPA began the ballot last week, according to a letter to members seen by Reuters on Monday.

A spokesman for Ryanair, which this month signed its first cabin crew union recognition agreements with staff in Italy and Britain, was not immediately available for comment. (Reporting by Conor Humphries and Padraic Halpin; editing by David Evans)