Cabin crew unions for Ryanair, Air France, and EasyJet have issued threats of potential industrial action during the Christmas period
Expats in Spain who are planning to travel by plane during the Christmas holidays may see their journeys severely disrupted by strikes. It has been reported across the media that unions representing several airlines are planning a string of industrial actions.
Ryanair
Ryanair’s Belgian cabin crew are threatening to strike over Christmas. In a letter sent to the airline management on November 21, the CNE union said: “The end of year festivities are approaching, and if nothing changes, there is a high probability that staff will express their anger in that period.”
Air France
Two Air France unions have already issued strike notices for the period between December 22 and January 2, 2023.
Any industrial action would be in protest against the renegotiation of the collective cabin crew workplace agreement. After the agreement expired in October, the strike is retaliation to their working conditions, pay, and progression.
Air France bosses have said that “negotiations are still underway” and that “our objective is to reach a new agreement.”
Both unions said, “To find ourselves at the mercy of bosses who, at a single pen stroke, can change everything that affects us in our work for their own benefit is unacceptable.”
EasyJet France
EasyJet unions in France are also opposing the collective employee agreement which governs its cabin crew.
The SNPNC-FO union has issued a warning over “a very significant risk that cabin crew activity will be suspended over the end of year holidays, in line with negotiations over salaries.
“After nearly two years of colossal efforts on the part of the air stewards and stewardesses, during which our working conditions really declined because of serious strategic errors for which only the management is responsible, EasyJet is proposing pay increases which do not even cover inflation, and is refusing the key points of our demands,” the union added.
Low-cost carrier Ryanair’s Belgian cabin crew are also threatening to strike. In a letter sent to the airline management on November 21, the CNE union said: “The end of year festivities are approaching, and if nothing changes, there is a high probability that staff will express their anger in that period.”
Tap Air Portugal
TAP Air Portugal has announced that it will be cancelling 360 flights at the beginning of December because of a cabin crew strike.
This will affect flights on December 8 and 9, and passengers who had planned to travel on these days will be able to change their tickets free of charge from today (November 28) and December 19.
Read more: Ryanair handling services call off strikes
