The coordinated strike of pilots from the Irish airline Ryanair caused chaos on Friday at the peak of the summer holiday season in Europe, with 400 out of a total of 2,400 flights canceled, as pilots in Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Sweden, and the Netherlands seek better pay and working conditions, reports Irish Times.
>>> The largest pilot strike in Ryanair’s history has begun
The strike will affect around 55,000 passengers, Ryanair said, sharply criticizing the strike which they consider “unnecessary”.
Pilots, on the other hand, claim that management has not wanted to engage in meaningful discussions about a collective agreement since recognizing the union last December.
The strike has hit Germany the hardest, with 250 canceled flights at 10 airports.
The powerful Cockpit union states that they have called around 480 pilots from Germany to strike, which began this morning at 3:01 AM and ends on Saturday at 2:59 AM.
“The company headquarters in Dublin must reconsider how they treat their workers,” says Ingolf Schumacher, head of Cockpit’s pay policy department.
“Ryanair has stated that they do not have a cent to spare for staff costs,” noted Schumacher, adding that this is why “the situation cannot improve”.
In the Netherlands, a court rejected Ryanair’s request for an emergency order to prevent local pilots from joining the labor action. Despite this, flights from that country will not be canceled, the Irish airline stated.
>>> The strike at Ryanair will affect around 100,000 people
They are among the 2,000 flights in Europe, or 85 percent of the schedule, that will be operated as planned during the 24-hour strike.
The coordinated strike of Ryanair pilots is unprecedented in aviation history and a new headache for the company’s management this turbulent summer.
In July, pilots and cabin crew organized a series of strikes that caused disruptions in 600 flights from Belgium, Ireland, Italy, Portugal, and Spain, affecting 100,000 passengers.
Ryanair flies to 37 countries and transported a total of 130 million passengers last year. They avoided a strike during Christmas, recognizing unions for the first time in their 30-year history.
Difficulties have arisen in negotiations with unions over pay and working conditions.
The company expects a profit of around 1.25 billion euros this year and boasts lower costs per passenger compared to competitors.
Ryanair pilots, however, claim they earn much less than their colleagues at other airlines, such as Lufthansa.
>>> Lower ticket prices reduced Ryanair’s profit by 20 percent
Unions also want management to ensure that workers employed on fixed-term contracts have the same rights as permanent employees.
Workers from other countries complain that Ryanair employs them under Irish regulations, justifying this by arguing that most of them work on Irish aircraft.
They respond that this creates great insecurity and prevents them from accessing the benefits offered by their home country.
Ryanair has stated that they are willing to continue talks with pilot representatives.
Meanwhile, CEO Michael O’Leary warned that they might relocate jobs and aircraft to more profitable areas if the turmoil continues.
>>> Ryanair decided to recognize the pilots’ union to prevent a strike
The company has already relocated part of its fleet from Dublin to Poland, which could result in the elimination of 300 jobs, including 100 pilot positions.
