Ryanair cabin crew threaten to go on strike

Exactly three years after Ryanair first recognized Belgian labor law for employees based in our country, the Irish airline is still not complying with it. For example, the wage system is not yet ready, and there are still no vouchers in Belgian wages, says Hans Elsen of the ACV Puls Christian trade union. “This causes daily problems in the event of unemployment, sickness or maternity leave.” And while Ryanair does have to pay a minimum wage, it doesn’t do so on a monthly basis, apparently.

The working conditions are also unacceptable, Elsen says. For example, Ryanair’s medical exam does not consider business time, and these costs are deducted from wages. Any sick person must undergo a performance appraisal three times, and cabin crew also have to pay for water, like a customer on an airplane. While the crew has the right to do so under Belgian law.

No wage index

Hino’s labor inspectorate has already collected dozens of complaints in the file against Ryanair, which began three years ago. The last prosecutor said this was related to numerous violations of Belgian labor law, such as working with fake self-employees, part-time registration of full-time employees, and refusal to index wages.

† Ryanair CEO summoned in criminal investigation

Unions and Ryanair signed a collective bargaining agreement in 2019 for the first time since the Irish airline’s arrival, but it expired last week. Negotiations for a new collective labor agreement stalled.

According to the unions, Ryanair wants to increase productivity even more, because it has had to index wages. But this is ‘I do not go’ for unions, says Elsen. During the Corona crisis, the company demanded that its employees be handed over. Today, the sector is operating at full capacity, but the company is hiding behind the crisis in Ukraine and high energy prices so as not to make concessions to employees. While life also becomes more expensive for them.

With Ryanair no longer willing to come to the table, according to ACV Puls, and several mediation attempts failing, the Christian Union says it has “no other choice” but to launch an indefinite strike notice from Monday. It appears that “if Ryanair does not take a different path, the Belgian staff will be out of work very soon”. In France, cabin crews are also threatening a strike, which could cause thousands of travelers to see their plans for the Easter holiday fall through the cracks.

Ryanair has not yet responded to our request for comment.