Ryanair crew threaten strike as pay talks collapse in Spain

Workers’ organisations in Spain, Belgium, France, Italy and Portugal have come together to prepare possible Europe-wide actions

Thu, 09 Jun, 2022 - 08:30

Thomas Gualtieri and Siddharth Philip

Ryanair's cabin crew may go on strike this summer in several European countries after the continent’s largest low-cost airline walked away from talks with two Spanish unions.

The impasse over issues including higher pay leaves “no other option” but to call for a walkout, a representative of the SITCPLA labor group said in a response to questions.

“We’re coordinating our actions with European counterparts.”

SITCPLA and fellow Spanish union USO have joined forces with five workers’ organisations in Belgium, France, Italy, and Portugal to prepare Europe-wide actions if the company doesn’t come to the table.

That could jeopardise the carrier’s recovery from the coronavirus pandemic at the peak of this summer’s high season, when travel demand is expected by many airlines to at least come close to 2019 levels.

A walkout would also exacerbate turmoil that’s already engulfed European airports as staff shortages and supply chain issues lead to lengthy queues and cancelled flights.

Ryanair called off talks in Spain after the unions began to threaten a strike, according to a letter from airline director Darrell Hughes seen by Bloomberg News.

Negotiations on a collective agreement made “almost made no progress” due to the unions’ “unrealistic demands and refusal to meaningfully engage,” the carrier said.

“We do not expect widespread disruption this summer,” Ryanair said in an emailed response to questions on Thursday.

“We believe that any strikes they call will not be supported by our Spanish crews.” The airline has reached a deal with larger Spanish union CCOO, meaning “announcements by the much smaller USO and SITCPLA unions are a distraction,” the company said.