Ryanair cabin crew set date for strike action

RYANAIR cabin crew in five countries are set to go on strike on September 28 in another blow to the airline as it battles continuing labour unrest at the company. Cabin crew who are union members in Italy, Portugal, Spain, Belgium and the Netherlands will stage the 24-hour strike, heaping pressure on Ryanair management to bring an end to the labour strife that has dogged the carrier for a year. The planned strike by cabin crew follows hot on the heels of a strike by unionised staff Ryanair pilots in Germany on Wednesday this week. That saw the airline cancel 150 of its German flights. Union leaders in the five countries where cabin crew are set to remain grounded on the strike day claimed that Ryanair management “choose to ignore the law and with [sic] the bullying culture that is part of the company’s culture for decades”. They claimed in a strike notice that for decades Ryanair has dictated its orders and “faced no real challenges from employees’ representatives and have demonstrated to trade unions that [they] are incapable of maintaining a meaningful conversation during the talks”. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary this week dismissed claims that the airline engaged in bullying tactics. He told TV channel CNBC that claims the airline had bullied trade unions were “complete rubbish”. Ryanair said last year that it would recognise unions. Since then, it has been trying to hammer out collective labour agreements across Europe.