No turnaround: those who strike will face sanctions such as “the loss of future payroll increases according to the agreement” or “transfers or promotions.” In a letter sent to his Italian pilots, Ryanair’s chief of staff, Eddie Wilson, invites them in no uncertain terms to refrain from the strike scheduled for December 15.
“Please continue to work according to your scheduled shifts,” is the exhortation of the manager, who in this way hopes to avoid joining the 4-hour strike next Friday, December 15, from 1 to 5 pm, organized to request the application of the collective labor agreement.
And not to leave any doubt, the letter adds: “All Ryanair pilots and the cabin crew must report as usual on December 15th in the crew room, because every action taken by each employee will result in the immediate loss of the roster 5/3 (the shift involving 5 days of work and 3 days of rest,) for the whole cabin crew.”
The Minister of Economic Development, Carlo Calenda, commented laconically on the case: “It is unworthy. It is not my sphere of responsibility, but I think we should intervene. You cannot stay in a market, take advantages and do not respect the rules and workers’ rights.”
The spreading disobedience
But the possible inconveniences for the company and its passengers can also come from Dublin, where a pilot strike is announced for December 20. The position of the air carrier, which in a note is said to be surprised by the threat of Ialpa, the acronym of Aer Lingus inside the Impact union, of “interrupting flights under Christmas when Ialpa numbers confirm that it has the support” less than 28% of Ryanair’s more than 300 Dublin-based pilots and when Ryanair’s bases in Belfast, Cork and Shannon have already agreed on a 20% pay increase.”
For Dublin-based pilots who will participate in this agitation, the company warns that “they will violate the agreements made and lose the agreed benefits.” And it is not over because the low-cost airline must also face the protest of the German pilots’ union, Vereinigung Cockpit, which calls for the application of the collective labor agreement.
The German trade union has spoken of a strike that begins “from now on at any time,” except for the Christmas season, from December 23 to 26,” underlining that the pilots will go on until Ryanair does not adhere to the national contract.
In short, a real toll of arms on a continental scale since in no country Ryanair recognizes independent trade union representatives, so much so that in some countries such as Spain, Sweden, Portugal and the Netherlands, local employment councils have been created.
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