Ryanair labour unrest intensifies with cabin crew, pilot strikes

Ryanair flight attendants in 4 European countries said they plan to follow pilots in staging walkouts over the coming weeks as the airline faces its biggest confrontation yet with organized labour. Spanish, Portuguese and Belgian cabin crew will strike July 25 and 26, the Portuguese union SNPVAC, said Thursday. Italian flight attendants will join the action July 25, while workers in Germany and the Netherlands won’t strike on those days due to local labour rules. The unions set the first dates for strikes just a day after crew stationed at most of Ryanair’s 86 bases across Europe met in Dublin to draw up a list of common demands. These include access to unpaid leave, a living wage, fair universal pensions and an end to charges for food, water and uniforms. The strikes may involve as many as 5,000 attendants and affect 200 flights. <br/>