In the middle of a strike, Ryanair highlights its threats to employment

"Ryanair must change!": hostesses and stewards of the Irish low-cost company began Wednesday, a strike under this slogan in various countries of Europe, the same day that Ryanair announced a reduction in its fleet in Ireland and threatened to cut 300 jobs in reaction to a strike of pilots.

On the bottom of a decline in profits, the group led by the Irish billionaire Michael O'Leary warned on Monday that the multiplication of strikes could lead him to revise his winter traffic forecasts with, with the key, less planes and less jobs.

And he put his threat into effect: in a statement, the group announced Wednesday it would reduce from 30 to 24 the number of its planes in Dublin next winter, which could lead to job losses per 100 pilots and 200 hostesses and stewards

Ryanair blames the recent three-day strike by its Irish pilots for better working conditions, claiming that it has caused a "drop in reservations".

According to its chief operating officer, Peter Bellew, the group has however "decided to allocate more aircraft in markets where it is experiencing strong growth, such as Poland."

– 'Even no water' for the hostess –

The announcement was made the same day that a new two-day strike was launched by cabin crew in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and in Italy.

At the Madrid-Barajas airport, strikers were distributing leaflets in Spanish and English to tourists, detailing their demands.

"I demand that all the crew members who fly in the even aircraft have the same salary and working conditions "for the same function, was read in this leaflet, denouncing a mbadive recourse to temporary workers.

"What do we want? Spanish contracts!", Also shouted at Barcelona airport about thirty workers, demanding that Ryanair apply the law of the countries in which it operates, while the company intends to apply than Irish legislation.

"We do not have a contract from here, it leaves us unprotected, they can treat us as they want", explained a bitter 22-year-old, preferring to be named only by her initials, RM [19659004] "The salary is the same as that of other low-cost companies but elsewhere, at least, they are well treated," she complained, noting that Ryanait does not provide "even water" free of charge to its customers. hostesses on board.

One of her colleagues, RA, 26, complained that she was "paid only for flying hours" but not for hours spent at the airport, especially when the delays lengthened the day.

The strike started "uneventfully" in Spain, the second largest tourist destination in the world, said a representative of the union USO-air, Ernesto Iglesias.

The movement however did not generate big disturbances because the government had imposed a minimum service, said the trade unionist, according to which "the only flights canceled in Spain are those that Ryanair had deleted" from last week.

– 600 flights canceled –

In high tourist season, the company had in effect taken the lead by preemptively canceling 600 flights across Europe. According to her, 100,000 pbadengers had been reimbursed or relocated to other flights.

In Belgium, 80% of the cabin crew attached to Brussels airport were on strike according to the CNE union. But the organization said it feared that Ryanair would "break the strike" and noted that a Brussels-Berlin connection had been secured with a German crew, Germany not being affected by the movement.

In Portugal, where a third flights were canceled Wednesday, labor inspectors were present at different airports to ensure that Ryanair would not use employees from other European bases to replace strikers, according to the National Staff Union Civil Aviation theft (SNPVAC).

In Italy, the company reported a "series of problems with flights, resulting in cancellations", without specifying the number.

bur-jbo -emi-lbx / du / gl

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