Strikes at Ryanair: and now, pilots in Spain

SEPLA, which represents some of the 900 pilots employed in Spain by the Irish flight specialist, chose Thursday 19, Friday 20 and Saturday 21 September 2019, and Friday 27 and Sunday 29 to strike. In question, the closure announced next January Ryanair bases in the airports of Girona-Costa Brava, Las Palmas-Gran Canaria, Lanzarote-César Manrique and Tenerife Southwhich could lead to the loss of 120 pilot positions out of a total of 512 jobs at risk. According to a spokesman for the union, they were not offered any new assignments.

New meetings between Ryanair management and the union are planned, but it specifies that in case of failure of the mediation, the five days of strike will take place in the 13 airports where it is present in the country. The SEPLA, whose recognition had been signed last October, pointed out at the beginning of August that it was not unwilling to accept layoffs, especially if they are the product of harmful management ".

Ryanair is already facing another conflict in Spain, where two PNC have already filed strike notices for ten days in september (1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 15, 20, 22, 27 and 28). It has announced a future plan of dismissal which should affect 900 seafarers, with a first announcement expected at the end of the summer and another after Christmas. The low cost estimates its overstaff 500 pilots and 400 PNC, and has just posted in the first quarter a decline of 21% of its profits.

Even before the announcement of these financial results, the low cost had considered closing bases as early as next November. Ryanair Holdings, which oversees Ryanair in Ireland and the United Kingdom, Lauda in Austria, Malta Air in Malta and Buzz in Poland, explained on July 16 that downward revision of the flight programs during the next two seasons IATA was "directly caused" by delays in delivery of Boeing 737 MAX ; the two accidents in five months at Lion Air and Ethiopian Airlines having led to the cessation of deliveries, a reduction in production and the grounding of the 371 re-engined single-aisle aircraft already delivered.

© Ryanair