RyanAir pilot strike grounds 400 flights across Europe
- by Patty Hardy
- in Business
- — Aug 10, 2018
Ryanair flights departing Dublin Airport.
It is the fifth such day of action in Ireland, where 20 flights have been cancelled.
Irish pilots have held four strike days.
Around 250 flights have been cancelled as a result, forcing passengers who planned on travelling on Friday to rebook or take different routes.
The country's powerful Cockpit union said it had called on Ryanair's roughly 480 Germany-based pilots to walk out from 3.01am (2.01am Irish time) until 2.59am (1.59am Irish time) on Saturday.
Yet, the head of German union Vereinigung Cockpit (VC), Martin Locher, blamed Ryanair for the strike, saying that "it has ruled out any rise in spending [and] has given no indication to its margins of manoeuvre to find a solution". "The strike may go ahead", judge Theo Roell said. Around 22 flights from Eindhoven airport could be hit.
Ingolf Schumacher, pay negotiator at Germany's Vereinigung Cockpit (VC) union, said pilots had to be prepared for "a very long battle" and that it could take months to push through change at Europe's largest low-priced carrier.
Despite the walkouts, 85 per cent of its scheduled flights, more than 2,000, will operate as normal, Ryanair said.
The unprecedented simultaneous strike action is the latest headache in a turbulent summer for Europe's second-largest airline.
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Last month cabin crew on Ryanair flights serving Belgium, Spain, Portugal and Italy downed tools. The strike is the eighth this year and comes at the peak of...
"If this isn't available on the same or next day then we will accommodate you to your end destination on airlines with whom we have a reciprocal agreement".
Anyone whose flight is expected to be disrupted will receive an email or SMS text advising them of the news, Ryanair said, with the status of individual flights able to be checked on its website.
Another key complaint of workers based in countries other than Ireland is the fact that Ryanair employs them under Irish legislation, arguing most of its employees work on Irish planes.
Staff claim this creates huge insecurity for them, blocking their access to state benefits in their country. The company says it has made every effort to solve the dispute.
Ryanair has repeatedly said it remained open to further talks with pilot representatives.
Since the it first recognised unions in December 2017, walkouts have been staged multiple times by Ryanair staff in various countries.
"Today our members are on strike to demand their rights".
