MADRID, JULY 2 BUSINESS: Ryanair’s Spain-based cabin crew are planning a 12-day strike this month to demand better working conditions, unions USO and SICTPLA said Saturday, raising the potential for travel chaos as the summer tourism season approaches. Underway.
The announcement came on the last day of the current crew strike, which began on Thursday and forced Ryanair to cancel 10 flights in Spain on Saturday, Reuters reports.
The unions said in a statement that cabin crew will strike on July 12-15, 18-21 and 25-28 across the 10 Spanish airports where Ryanair operates.
“Ryanair’s unions and crew… are calling for a change in the airline’s position,” they said in a statement, calling on Ryanair to resume negotiations on issues including the payment of the minimum wage. Ryanair did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The unions also urged the government not to allow Ryanair to violate labor legislation and constitutional rights such as the right to strike.
Airport disturbances expected as Ryanair cabin crew go on strike in Spain
Ryanair’s crew unions in Belgium, Spain, Portugal, France and Italy have gone on strike in recent days, but the low-cost airline said less than 2% of its scheduled flights over the past weekend were affected.
Airlines workers across Europe are organizing strikes as the sector adjusts to resuming travel after the pandemic lockdown was lifted, and staff shortages have been blamed for long delays and waiting lists.
Cabin crew at Spain-based EasyJet have gone on strike for nine days this month for higher salaries. The airline canceled five flights from Spain on Saturday.
Workers at Paris’s Charles de Gaulle airport went on strike on Friday and Saturday, resulting in the cancellation of about 10% of flights.
ANA, the airport operator in Portugal, also a major holiday destination, said there were no ongoing strikes, but 65 flights to and from Lisbon were expected to be canceled on Saturday due to “a combination of restrictions at several European airports”.
The Portuguese situation mostly affected the services of TAP, which did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Long queues formed at the TAP support desk in Lisbon as frustrated passengers attempted to either rebook or refund.