Ryanair's Spanish cabin crew union members plan strikes on four days of every week until January to press demands for higher pay and better working conditions, a leader of the USO union said in a statement on Wednesday.
The strike action, which is backed both by the USO and Sitclpa union groups, will take place from Monday to Thursday during every week from August 8th to January 7th, the statement said.
Ryanair workers caused disruption at many Spanish airports during July, when they walked out for several days, mainly on weekends, during the month.
The number of cancelled flights was limited compared to other countries where Ryanair staff have also gone on strike as Spanish regulation forces airlines and staff to maintain a minimum service.
"As the company has been unable to listen to the workers, we have been forced to call new strike days," said Lidia Aransanz, a leader for USO's Ryanair section.
The unions are demanding 22 days of holiday and two extra months' payment per year to comply with Spanish legislation, she added.
The union said 11 cabin staff in Spain were fired during the recent strikes.
Ryanair had accounted for 22.3 per cent of passengers travelling via Spanish airports during the first half of the year, according to data from airport operator Aena.
The company said recent strikes by USO and Sitcpla "have been poorly supported with minimal effect". It also said it recently reached an agreement with the largest of the Spanish trade unions, CCOO, on pay, rosters and allowances for its Spanish cabin crew.
"Ryanair has operated over 45,000 flights to/from Spain over the last three months with less than 1 per cent affected by crewing and Ryanair expects minimal (if any) disruption this winter," it said in a statement.
- Reuters
*Article updated at 9.42am on July 28th to include Ryanair statement.
