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ARCHIVED - Ryanair cancels 28 Spanish flights on day 4 of strikes
The airline classified all of its flights to and from Spain as ‘minimum services’
By lunch time on Thursday June 30, the fourth day of a six-day strike by Ryanair cabin crew, the airline had cancelled a total of 28 flights to and from Spain. In addition, 70 incoming planes were delayed as were 54 departing flights.
According to the USO union, one other flight that should have arrived in Seville from Cantania at midnight was axed but this was unrelated to the strike action.
Before the industrial action began on Friday June 24, the Ministry of Transport in Spain warned that the stoppages would affect some 2,649 flights and some 440,000 passengers but so far, it’s not having the impact that was initially feared.
Malaga airport is bearing the brunt of the cabin crew strike, but a decree from the government insisting that the airline provides a minimum number of essential services has provided Ryanair with something of a loophole.
Today, for instance, Michael O’ Leary’s company listed every flight into and out of Spain as essential, meaning that staff are obliged to turn up for their shift, strike or no strike. However, the requisite number of cabin crew still wasn’t available on Thursday, hence the cancellations.
The union has heavily criticised the airline for forcing its staff to work, and the Spanish government for allowing it.
“Ryanair reapplies its own minimum services of 100%, its own law, and forces all its crew to fly, trampling on their right to strike,” the general secretary of USO, Lidia Arasanz, said, adding that “the Government does nothing; the Labour Inspectorate does not go to the bases on strike days to corroborate the irregularities committed by the company, and neither does the National High Court protect the constitutional right to strike and claim our rights.”
There are two more strike days planned by Ryanair on July 1 and 2 which are expected to cause considerably more disruption since easyJet flight attendants have also planned work stoppages on these dates.
You might also like: Ryanair cabin crew strikes in Spain: how much compensation can you claim for cancelled flights?
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