ARCHIVED - easyJet strike kicks off with 7 Spanish flights cancelled in first hours
The union representing cabin crew is considering legal action against the Transport Ministry in Spain
On the first day of easyJet cabin crew strikes in Spain (Friday July 1) the airline has already cancelled 7 flights before 9am while a further 12 have been delayed. The industrial action will be punctuated throughout the month, with more work stoppages planned for July 2, 3, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30 and 31.
The USO, the union which represents many of the cabin crew, is looking into taking legal action since a Ministry of Transport decree ensures that all striking airlines have to provide a minimum service: in the case of easyJet, this translates into 57% of flights at Barcelona airport, 56% at Malaga and 51% at Palma de Mallorca.
The decree means that, legally, airline staff have to report for duty if the operator deems the flight they are scheduled to work on an essential one.
According to the USO, “almost the entire workforce has received their letter to operate protected flights” and easyJet “has followed the Ryanair model”, which results in the companies “not respecting the minimum decree and violating the right to strike of the crew.”
By airports, in Malaga, four easyJet flights have been cancelled (two departures and two arrivals) and in Palma, one departure and two arrivals for London have been axed.
On June 30, the fourth date of the Ryanair strikes, the company listed 100% of its Spanish flights as minimum services; despite this, many crew members failed to turn up and several trips were cancelled or delayed.
To counteract this, the union has reported that Ryanair has today drafted in staff from other countries, including Portugal and the United Kingdom, to crew its flights. As of 9am on Friday, the company hasn’t announced any cancellations although 21 flights have been delayed.
Image: Archive
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