Ryanair cabin crew from four European countries will go on strike this month, in an escalation of the airline’s labour dispute that is likely to cause severe disruption to flights to popular holiday destinations. Cabin and ground crew from Spain, Italy, Portugal and Belgium have agreed to stage a walkout on 25 and 26 July, saying Ryanair has failed to address a list of demands presented to the company in a “crew charter” this week. Ryanair has described the demands as “pointless”, insisting its crew already enjoy good conditions. Details of the walkout emerged days after about 100 Ryanair pilots based in Ireland announced plans to strike on 12 July. Ryanair’s chief executive, Michael O’Leary, reversed a decades-old policy of refusing to recognise trade unions in December, as the airline wrestled with a pilot shortage that caused two waves of flight cancellations. Michael O’Leary, the Ryanair chief executive. Photograph: Reuters But the International Transport Workers’ Federation, an umbrella body assisting Ryanair crew unions in multiple countries, said the company had not followed up union recognition with genuine talks about working conditions. ITF’s campaigns director, Liz Blackshaw, said: “The decision that Ryanair took in December to recognise unions was welcomed, but that came in among years and years of complaints across the workforce about conditions, pay, all of the issues listed in the charter.“No progress has been made, despite Ryanair claiming to be in talks with unions across Europe. Ryanair needs to sit down with the unions they’ve been talking with and actually address the conditions of work being complained about and address the charter.” Guardian business email sign-up The crew charter drawn up by unions includes demands ranging from improvements to economic conditions to safety and rostering and workplace culture. They also urged Ryanair to end more precarious agency employment, give staff the right to sick pay and end strictly enforced sales targets for products such as scratchcards. Ryanair had not responded to a request for comment at the time of publication.<doc-sep>The four unions representing cabin crew said in a joint statement: "We call on the European Commission, and the governments of every European country where Ryanair operates, to act upon the social dumping performed by the Irish low cost carrier and to enforce the EU employment and national imperative legislation."<doc-sep>THE dates of Ryanair's cabin crew strikes have been announced for July - and they clash with the school holidays. Cabin crew in Italy will strike on July 25 for 24 hours, followed by a 48 hour strike for crew in Spain, Portugal and Belgium on July 25-26. 3 Ryanair flight attendants across Europe have announced they will be going on strike Credit: PA:Press Association Union bosses have said that further strike action may be taken if the airline does not give them what they want. The cabin crew are joining Irish Ryanair pilots who on Tuesday announced a strike for July 12, saying Europe's largest low-cost carrier had failed to improve working conditions enough after recognising unions in December. Ryanair, which flies in 37 countries and carried 130 million passengers last year, averted widespread strikes before Christmas by deciding to recognise trade unions for the first time in its 32-year history. But it has since struggled to reach agreement on terms with several of them. 3 The strikes could cause holiday chaos for Brits heading to Spain, Portugal, Italy and Belgium this summer Credit: Alamy Cabin crew from across Europe published a list of 34 demands on Wednesday, including "a fair living wage", improved sick pay and employment contracts in their own language based on local rather than Irish law. Flight attendants said at a media briefing they were forced to physically report to work when sick to provide written details of symptoms. They said they also struggled to claim sick pay as their terms and conditions often straddled the law of Ireland and their home country. The cabin crew, who spoke on condition of anonymity saying they feared reprisals if they went public, said staff from several EU countries were forced to travel to Ireland to open bank accounts in order to receive pay. 3 The dates of the strikes will be announced later on today Credit: Alamy A Ryanair spokesperson told Sun Online Travel: “These demands are pointless since Ryanair cabin crew already earn up to €40,000 per year (£35,000), more than double the ‘living’ wage. “They work a fixed five-on/three-off roster (a bank holiday weekend every week) “Staff cannot fly (by law) more than 900 hours per year, an average of 18 hours per week. “They enjoy rosters that exceed all European Aviation Safety Agency minimum rest requirements. “Staff receive free training, sick pay and an annual uniform allowance of €400 (£353) and are incentivised to sell on board with industry leading sales bonuses (10 per cent). 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Airline & airport prices from £20 “They receive paid and unpaid leave as they wish. “Ryanair is already engaged in extensive negotiations with national cabin crew unions across Europe during which all of these, and other issues, are being negotiated and we have already concluded agreements in the UK and Italy.” Sun Online Travel previously reported on a family's Ryanair flights that were cancelled due to the French air traffic control strikes - leaving them £3,900 out of a pocket.<doc-sep>
Ryanair’s brief romance with trade unions appears to be on the rocks. A week ahead of a strike by up to 100 pilots employed by the airline in Ireland, cabin crew in four European countries have announced walkouts in late July, on some of the busiest days of the summer. Cabin crew in Belgium, Italy and Portugal will stage 48-hour strikes on 25 and 26 July, while their colleagues in Italy will stop work for 24 hours on 25 July. Ryanair is the biggest budget airline in Europe, but it began to recognise trade unions only last winter. While it has struck deals in some European countries, cabin crew in many locations are unhappy. Cabin Crew United, representing Ryanair staff across Europe and North Africa, have been meeting in Dublin, where the airline is based. The “Ryanair Crew Charter” which emerged from the discussion, contains demands from staff at the airline’s 86 bases in 21 countries. The top demand is: “A fair living wage that reflects the work we do”. Other key concerns are seniority pay, compensation for disrupted schedules, and an end to the extra costs incurred by cabin crew - including food and water on duty, and uniforms.” Ryanair called the demands “pointless”, saying its cabin crew earn up to €40,000 annually; work a fixed five-on/three-off roster (a bank holiday weekend every week); and an annual uniform allowance of €400. In a Twitter exchange with a passenger, Marta Salvado, who enquired about a Girona-Stansted flight on 25 July, the airline’s social media team responded: “Flights are to operate as scheduled.“ Meanwhile the Irish pilots’ union, IALPA, has accused Ryanair of having “absolutely no intention of negotiating on what are considered to be very reasonable requirements”. A strike is planned for next Tursday, 12 July. The airline says it is willing to meet the union, and has agreed a 20 per cent pay increase. Ryanair is urging IALPA to call off or at least postpone the strike, and to talk on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. If passengers are disrupted by strikes, they cannot claim compensation, but are entitled to meals and, if necessary, accommodation until the airline can fly them to their destination.