Ryanair cabin crew resume strike in Catalan airports

Cabin crew staff of Irish airline Ryanair has resumed another day of strike action on Tuesday, as workers call for the company to provide better conditions that they claim should already be in place due to previous court rulings.

As of 7pm, no flights connecting with Catalan airports have been called off, the Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) trade union said. 

Further cancellations and delays are expected in Catalonia as industrial action over ongoing disputes takes place every day until July 28, except for weekend days.

In the past week, numerous flights connecting Barcelona to cities across the continent such as London, Milan, Rome, and Palma de Mallorca have been canceled, raising the prospect of travel chaos as the summer tourist season returns to Catalonia.

Catalan airports saw 68 delays on Tuesday as of 7pm, 31 of which were departures from Barcelona, 30 arrivals in the Catalan capital, and two flights landing in Girona and five taking off from the northern city. 

The strike is set to last until July 28 and has been called for ten airports in Spain where the low-cost carrier operates, including Barcelona and Girona. 

Scores of flights were called off across Catalonia and the continent since the strike started in late June. Workers are demanding a new labor agreement in accordance with Spanish law. 

According to data from the USO union, Ryanair faced 60 cancellations and at least 867 delays last week, while Monday saw eight cancellations and 79 flights delayed.

Next affected dates

As airlines and airports struggle with staff shortages following the pandemic, chaos at airports across Europe continues. 

Meanwhile, travelers flying with EasyJet have also experienced abrupt trip changes. Here’s what to expect in the following days.

Ryanair: July 19, 20, 21, 25, 26, 27 and 28, disruptions at the ten Spanish bases (Madrid, Barcelona, ​​Girona, Malaga, Seville, Valencia, Alicante, Santiago de Compostela, Palma and Ibiza).

EasyJet: July 29, 30 and 31, at the three Spanish bases (Malaga, Barcelona and Palma).

Dispute

The USO and Sitcpla unions argue that Ryanair employees are treated like "third-class workers" and call on the company to comply with "basic labor rights and court rulings." 

According to them, the low-cost airline should sit down to negotiate "a collective agreement and decent working conditions for all staff."

The union considers the measure of silencing the protest as they "have not obeyed the airline's illegal rules," a statement from the USO union read. 

They also claim that many of the conditions agreed upon are actually based on court rulings won against the company, such as the salary increase of €1,000 in 2022 and €800 for 2023, as well as the fixed schedule of 5 days' work and three days' rest.