Irish tourists with a holiday booked to Portugal this summer could have their plans ruined if planned strikes go ahead.
Ryanair's Portuguese cabin staff have announced they will go on strike for three days later this month, on June 24, 25 and 26.
It is possible that around 50 flights connecting Ireland and Portugal on those three days could be impacted.
The workers are demanding compliance with Portuguese law and better working conditions, Portugal's union of civil aviation personnel SNPVAC said in a statement on Tuesday.
"This mobilisation is not only an opportunity to put the spotlight on multiple attacks on workers' dignity and to make this reality known but also a moment to show unity and solidarity against dumping", the union added.
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The decision came one day after Ryanair's Spanish cabin crew announced a six-day strike planned for June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and July 1 and 2, as they are discontent with working conditions and pay.
French cabin crew at Ryanair went on strike on Sunday and Monday demanding better pay and working conditions, a union representative said earlier, adding that more than 40 flights had to be cancelled.
Irish Ryanair cabin crews have not voted to strike but the strike action will potentially affect thousands of Irish with holiday plans this summer.
However in a statement to The Irish Mirror, Ryanair said that the SNPVAC union heading the Portuguese strike action represents less than 3% of their cabin crew and they "do not expect widespread disruption this summer".
The full statement read: “Ryanair has negotiated collective agreements covering 90% of our people across Europe. In recent months we have been negotiating improvements to those agreements as we work through the Covid recovery phase. Those negotiations are going well and we do not expect widespread disruption this summer.
"In Portugal, we concluded a Collective Labour Agreement (CLA) for our cabin crew in 2021 with STTAMP union (Sindicato dos Trabalhadores dos Transportes de Portugal) the largest and most representative union for Ryanair cabin crew in Portugal. Last month we concluded an extension to this CLA which now runs to 2026 and which delivers improvements for Portuguese-based cabin crew, reinforcing Ryanair’s commitment to the welfare of its cabin crew.
"The recent announcement by SNPVAC union (which represents less 3% of Ryanair cabin crew) is a distraction from their own failure to deliver agreements after three years of negotiations and that their strike calls will not be supported by our Portuguese crews.”
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