Ryanair employees in Spain have been asked to strike for the rest of the year

Cabin crew in Spain for Irish airline Ryanair have gone on strike since June of this year. Now, the Spanish unions USO and Sitcpla are calling their members to strike from Monday to Thursday every week until January 7.

Although employees have been on strike since the end of June, as a result of which more than 300 flights have been cancelled, Ryanair has refused to negotiate improving the working conditions of employees, Scriver El Pais. According to the airline, the strike has very little impact on air travel in general. Spanish legislation requires that airline crews provide a minimum level of service even during strikes, so travelers are affected to a lesser degree than other countries, Reuters reports.

Requires re-employment of dismissed employees

Unions are demanding that the airline begin complying with the country’s labor laws and agree to negotiate collective agreements. In addition, they are requesting that the eleven employees who were dismissed due to the strike be rehired.

“We are not asking for 167 percent wage increases as Ryanair claims, but wage updates ranging from 8 percent for those with the highest wages to 16 percent for those workers who don’t even reach the minimum wage,” the USO wrote in a press release.

According to El País, a quarter of all passengers travel to and from Spain with Ryanair. Nine flights were canceled and 42 postponed due to the strike on Wednesday. The most affected cities are Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Malaga and Palma de Mallorca, according to the EFE news agency.