Cabin crews working for budget airline Ryanair are to stage a walkout in Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium on July 25. A pilot strike is also due to go ahead on July 12.
ADVERTISEMENTCabin crews working for budget airline Ryanair are to strike in Portugal, Italy, Spain and Belgium on July 25.
The union-backed walkouts will last for 48 hours in Italy, while staff in Portugal, Spain and Belgium will strike for 24 hours.
Meanwhile, the Irish Airline Pilots’ Association (IALPA) has reaffirmed that a pilot strike on July 12 would go ahead against appeals from Ryanair, who offered to hold talks with IALPA affiliate and trade union Forsa at their Dublin headquarters on Monday.
The action, which was backed by 99% of balloted IALPA members and Ryanair employees, will last for 24 hours.
On Wednesday, Forsa national secretary Angela Kirk said the walkout was going ahead because they had seen "no evidence whatsoever on the part of Ryanair management to engage in meaningful negotiations with a view to reaching agreement on the issues they have presented to the company".
The strikes have been spurred by contract disputes. The cabin crews want theirs to be governed by the laws of the country where staff are based, and want the terms to apply to those directly and indirectly employed by Ryanair through third-party agencies.
The pilots’ demands concern seniority, annual leave and promotions within the company.
The developments also come just days after Ryanair called for “urgent action” in Europe after air traffic control strikes and staff shortages in France, Germany and the UK forced the carrier to cancel some 1,100 flights last month, and around 1,000 in May.
Last year, just 41 flights in June and 43 in May were terminated.