Spanish union Unión Sindical Obrera (USO) has called a strike for the 450 EasyJet cabin crew members based at Barcelona-El Prat (BCN), Málaga (AGP) and Palma de Mallorca (PMI) airports. As reported, the measure is scheduled for July 1, 2, 3, 15, 16, 17, 29, 30 and 31.
The reason «is none other than the current deadlock in the negotiation of the Second Collective Bargaining Agreement for the company’s crew members», said Miguel Galán, secretary general of the union in EasyJet Málaga. «The company has no interest in negotiating the improvement of working conditions for crew members in Spain, so that we have the same working conditions as those operating in other European bases, such as France and Germany», he added.
He also explained that the basic salary of cabin crew staff in Spain is 950 euros, 850 less than those who perform the same function in France and Germany. The figure, he said, does not match the cost of living in the Spanish cities where the employees reside.
Galán added that crew members rely on the variable pay to achieve a commensurate level of income in Barcelona, Málaga and Palma de Mallorca. In that sense, he argued that «if you fly long hours, you pay the bills, but at the cost of reducing rest time and flying longer hours».
For the new collective agreement, Unión Sindical Obrera is demanding an increase in the basic salary without decreases in the amounts per flight hour, the inclusion of the payment of a seniority supplement, the remuneration of training hours, the limitation of service periods to favor rest time and the annual renewal of all the elements of the onboard uniform, among other demands.
The measure is in addition to those announced by other unions in other European countries. The impact of the strikes could be greater than on previous occasions, mainly due to the sharp increase in demand ahead of the summer travel season and the growth in the number of airline operations.
Recently, moreover, airline and airport structures are sometimes not sufficient to maintain services on schedule and without disruption.
See also: Ryanair in trouble: Italian staff also goes on strike
