Ryanair cabin crew announce six days of strikes over pay this summer

Spanish cabin crew working for Ryanair have announced that they will walk out on June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and on July 1 and 2 over working conditions and pay, the USO union said today

Ryanair’s Spanish cabin staff will go on strike for six days in late June and early July, its main unions said today.

The staff will walk out on June 24, 25, 26 and 30 and on July 1 and 2, as they are discontent about working conditions
and pay, USO union said.

Although UK Ryanair staff have not announced a strike, the industrial action could impact Brits flying to Spanish destinations this summer.

Last week labour organisations including SITCPLA and USO came together to demand an uplift, claiming they have “no other option” but to walk out if it is not given.

The move comes after Ryanair – Europe’s largest budget airline – walked away from talks with USO and SITCPLA on Tuesday, Bloomberg reports.

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Last week a spokesperson for the latter union said: “We’re coordinating our actions with European counterparts.”

USO and STCPLA said in a joint statement that Ryanair lacked commitment to dialogue and accused the airline of acting in bad faith.

Negotiations on a collective agreement made “almost made no progress” due to the unions’ “unrealistic demands and refusal to meaningfully engage,” a letter from Ryanair said following the failed talks.

It is unclear when the strikes will take place, and how many flights will be impacted.

A spokesperson for Ryanair told The Mirror last week: “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 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.”