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IRELAND-AVIATION-STRIKE-EU
Ryanair faces fresh strike in Europe
BRUSSELS, Sept 28, 2018 (BSS/AFP) – Ryanair braced Friday for what unions
warn will be the biggest strike in the airline’s history — although the
carrier played down fears of disruption for travellers.
The Dublin-based carrier said it would have to cancel nearly 250 flights
amid walk-outs in Germany, Belgium, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and
Spain.
But the company insisted the vast majority of its 2,400 normally scheduled
flights would be unaffected by “these unnecessary strikes”.
“We find this strike… unreasonable and somewhat out of sync with the
progress we thought we were having,” Ryanair COO Peter Bellew said in a
conference call with journalists on Thursday.
Ryanair said in a statement that the vast majority of its 2,400 flights on
Friday “will be unaffected by these unnecessary strikes and will operate as
scheduled”.
Affected customers received email and text message notifications on Tuesday
to advise them of cancellations and options, Ryanair said.
Trade unions have claimed that Friday’s 24-hour stoppage will be the
biggest strike in the Irish carrier’s history.
“By not cancelling enough flights for tomorrow’s strike, Ryanair’s
irresponsible behaviour could create tensions and insecurity for all airport
staff, Ryanair and the passengers concerned,” the Belgian CNE union said in a
statement.
Ryanair staff have been seeking higher wages and an end to the practice
whereby many have been working as independent contractors without the
benefits of staff employees.
– Workers’ rights –
Another key complaint of workers based in countries other than Ireland is
the fact that Ryanair has been employing them under Irish legislation.
Staff claim this creates huge insecurity for them, blocking their access to
state benefits in their country.
EU Social Affairs Commissioner Marianne Thyssen said on Wednesday air crews
should be employed under contracts from the country where they work.
“Respecting EU law is not something over which workers should have to
negotiate, nor is it something which can be done differently from country to
country. I made this very clear to Mr O’Leary today,” Thyssen said in a
statement after a meeting between Ryanair’s combative chief executive Michael
O’Leary and EU officials.
“The internal market is not a jungle; it has clear rules on fair labour
mobility and worker protection. This is not an academic debate, but about
concrete social rights of workers.”
At a press conference O’Leary called for the cancellation of the strike,
threatening that he would shrink Ryanair’s fleet at two Brussels airports if
it went ahead.
Last month, Ryanair pilots across Europe staged a coordinated 24-hour
strike to push their demands for better pay and conditions, plunging tens of
thousands of passengers into transport chaos at the peak of the busy summer
season.
In July, strikes by cockpit and cabin crew disrupted 600 flights in
Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal and Spain, affecting 100,000 travellers.
This week, Ryanair signed deals with cabin crew unions in Italy to provide
employment contracts under Italian law.
The UK’s Civil Aviation Authority has called on Ryanair to compensate
passengers affected by the strikes.
BSS/AFP/MRI/0916 HRS