Major airlines are set to strike in the middle of the summer, potentially adding to the travel chaos many have already experienced.
Earlier this week, we reported that easyJet cabin crew in Spain is planning strike action for nine days due to a dispute over pay. This comes a week after it was announced that Ryanair cabin crew staff, also in Spain, were also planning strike days.
And now, strikes are planned for Ryanair staff in France, Italy, Portugal and Belgium too, in late June and throughout July. Travellers have been facing chaos in airports over the last couple of the months as airlines struggle with the demand customers as well as a shortage of staff. Hundreds of flights have been cancelled, mainly by easyJet, TUI and British Airways in a bid to tackle it.
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Ryanair have since added 'rescue flights' from airports in the UK, including Glasgow, to get people to their destination.
EasyJet strike days
EasyJet's cabin crew in Spain are planning to strike to demand a 40 per cent pay rise and will walkout on July 1-3, 15-17, and 29-31. Currently, the basic salary sits at 950 euros (around £775).
The walk out that will cover 72 hour periods at a time, would mean staff will stop working at easyJet’s bases in Barcelona, Málaga and Palma.
A spokesperson for easyJet said: “easyJet has been advised of strike action by its cabin crew based in Spain between 1-3, 15-17, and 29-31 July at its bases in Barcelona, Malaga, and Palma. We are extremely disappointed with this action as we have made considerable progress towards a new CLA and so would like to continue the constructive dialogue with them.
“Should the industrial action go ahead there could be some disruption to our flying programme to and from Malaga, Palma and Barcelona during the strike period but at this stage, easyJet plans to operate its full schedule and we would like to reassure customers that we will do everything possible to minimise any disruption.”
Ryanair strike days
Cabin crew staff for Ryanair are also planning a walk out from Friday, June 24.
As the Daily Record reports, unions said they were also planning strikes in Belgium and Portugal from June 24-26, a strike in France from June 25-26, and in Italy on June 25.
Cabin crew based in the UK have not voted to strike but the disruptions could have a massive impact on flights and thousands of holidaymakers.
Plans for a walkout has also been announced in Spain running from June 24-26, June 30, and July 1-2. The reasons for the five-country strike vary, with workers citing pay disputes, working conditions, and compliance with labour laws.
A spokesperson for Ryanair said: "Ryanair has negotiated collective agreements covering 90 per cent 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 Spain, we are pleased to have reached a collective agreement with CCOO, Spain’s largest and most representative union, delivering improvements for Spanish-based cabin crew and reinforcing Ryanair’s commitment to the welfare of its cabin crew.
"These announcements by the much smaller USO and SITCPLA unions are a distraction from their own failures to deliver agreements after three years of negotiations and we believe that any strikes they call will not be supported by our Spanish crews.”
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