German Ryanair pilots ready to strike
By
Marianne Arens
1 August 2018
Following Ryanair strikes in Ireland, Portugal, Spain and Britain, approximately 400 Ryanair pilots based in Germany have now agreed to industrial action by an overwhelming majority.
Every single pilot who cast his or her vote in the ballot voted in favour of a strike. Four percent of its members, for whatever reason, did not vote, but the Cockpit union counted these as though they had voted “no”, announcing there was 96 percent approval for the strike.
In the Netherlands on Tuesday, Ryanair pilots voted by 99.5 percent, practically unanimously, for strike action. The enormous willingness to strike in Germany as in Holland is part of a European-wide and growing combat readiness and strike wave at Ryanair.
Last week, Ryanair pilots in Ireland stopped working, along with flight attendants in Spain, Portugal, Belgium and Italy. The Irish Ryanair pilots, who had not been on strike for decades, have already taken strike action on July 13, 20 and 24, and they announced another 24-hour strike for Friday, August 3.
The Irish budget airline was forced to cancel more than 500 flights and re-book more than 100,000 passengers. Last Monday, there were further interruptions and massive delays in Britain, which Ryanair blamed on “force majeure”, in other words, severe storms and delays in air traffic control.
However, the main reason for the interruptions to Ryanair flights is the deep dissatisfaction among its staff. The cheap carrier’s business model rests on low wages and suppressing the workforce. Those hired by Ryanair face temporary employment, bogus self-employment and insecure working conditions. In addition, conditions at Ryanair in terms of work safety, leisure and promotion opportunities to…