• 

  Ryanair

  IATA/ICAO Code:

  FR/RYR

  Airline Type:

  Low-Cost Carrier

  Hub(s):

  Dublin Airport, London Stansted Airport, Milan Bergamo Airport

  Year Founded:

  1985

  Airline Group:

  Ryanair Group

  CEO:

  Eddie Wilson

  Country:

  Ireland

Irish low-cost carrier Ryanair has been plagued with industrial walkouts from its flight and cabin crew for the past few months, and it looks like the strikes aren't ending anytime soon. The airline's Spanish cabin crew has just started another series of industrial actions scheduled to last approximately five months, which could cause chaos for at least 1.4 million passengers. Despite the threatening timeline, Ryanair expects no disruptions whatsoever.

What is expected from Ryanair?

Aside from the usual salary increases to pre-pandemic levels, the Spanish unions calling for the strikes are Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) and SITCPLA, demanding that Ryanair immediately reinstate the 11 employees previously fired for striking last month. From their perspectives, the 11 employees were unfairly let go without probable reason.

According to the unions, working inspectors have already told the low-cost carrier that it has to comply with their employees' right to strike, and firing them over the act is potentially illegal. Additionally, the unions are demanding an end to disciplinary proceedings against nearly 100 workers who took part in the previous industrial walkouts before they also get fired by Ryanair.

Putting it simply, the unions want Ryanair to apply fundamental labor rights to their employees. Lidia Arasanz, a unionist at USO, said:

"We see a trickle of dismissals almost daily. Last week it was the tenth worker and yesterday another colleague from Barcelona who had been with the company for 12 years. We are now asking Ryanair to take them back to work because they were dismissed just because they were exercising their right to strike"

How long will the strikes last?

To reinforce their demands, the two unions insist on a five-month industrial action that will start on August 8th and end on January 7th next year. While the number of cabin crew taking part remains unclear, the strikes are scheduled to occur every week, from Monday to Thursday, lasting an entire 24-hour period. Continuing through the last summer season, the unions intentionally plan for the strikes to last through the peak Christmas and New Year's period, when there will undoubtedly be high demand.

The five-month-long action will primarily affect the airports of Alicante, Barcelona, Madrid-Barajas, Malaga, Seville, and Palma de Mallorca. Unfortunately, international and European destinations will be disrupted, including flights to and from Spain. With an undeniable chaotic rest of the year, the unions are confident that Ryanair will finally bring itself to the negotiating table as the USO says:

"There has not yet been any kind of cooperation on their part."

Stay informed: Sign up for our daily and weekly aviation news digests.

What does Ryanair make of the strikes?

Five months, approximately 3,000 flights, and 1.4 million passengers. These numbers are unquestionably terrifying for any airline to experience, yet the Irish low-cost carrier remains confidently unfazed. According to Ryanair, the strikes that occurred last month didn't even impact the airline's flight operations, and any delays or cancelations were mainly due to air traffic control strikes.

As there were no previous disruptions, Ryanair believes that the unions can only bear empty threats that will have no effect again. A spokesperson for the low-cost carrier said:

“In July alone Ryanair operated over 3,000 daily flights and carried a record 16.8m passengers – many of them to/from Spain. Ryanair expects that these latest threatened strikes, which involve only a handful of our Spanish cabin crew, will have zero impact on our Spanish flights or schedules in August or September."

While Ryanair remains unbothered, the passengers ultimately suffer most from all these industrial walkouts. On Monday, more than 200 flights were affected as frustrated passengers could only wait for rebookings or attempt to fly with another airline at their own expense. Should the latest action continue through the Christmas and New Year's periods, flying will become a dreaded gamble than a joy for passengers.

Source: Euronews