Ryanair: strike threat in Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal
At the end of a meeting Thursday in Brussels, the trade unions of cabin crew (PNC, hostesses and stewards) of Ryanair of five countries -Belgium, Spain, France, Italy and Portugal- threaten to ” launch actions on a European scale ” this summer.
In a joint press release, the unions criticize Ryanair, which had nevertheless undertaken to maintain a real social dialogue after the strike which had strongly affected its traffic in the summer of 2018, of not or badly applying social legislation. No notice has been filed yet, but “ if there is no significant response from the company, we will not hesitate to launch a European action during the summer “warn the unions. ” We want 2022 to be the year of recovery but also the year of real social dialogue. Management by fear at Ryanair must end “, they add.
In 2018, a two-day strike by cabin crew in Belgium, Spain and Portugal forced Ryanair to cut hundreds of flights. At the end of this strike historical “, the Irish low cost had ended up committing to recognize the unions and the legal and social particularities of each country. But, four years later, little has improved, and many issues raised in 2018 remain unresolved “, denounce the unions gathered Thursday in Brussels, affirming that there is still no “ fair and transparent social dialogue with airline management.
Some trade union demands were already highlighted during the three-day strike in Belgium a month ago. There is no local Human Relations department, payslips are unclear or contain errors, stewards and hostesses do not have access to fresh water on board aircraft (unless they the patient), etc. In addition, Ryanair refuses to comply with court rulings and there is no freedom of association within low cost in some countries. For example, in Italy, employees cannot organize in a union of their choice, but only in one of the organizations recognized by the management of Ryanair.