Irish low-cost airline Ryanair has said in a statement that it does not foresee any travel delays or flight cancellations despite baggage handlers at 12 of Spain’s main airports walking out at the height of the summer season.
Budget airline Ryanair has claimed that upcoming strike action by staff at Spanish airports will not disrupt operations despite them beginning in the middle of summer.
Passengers due to fly with Ryanair from certain Spanish airports may be affected by stoppages from mid-August onwards.
Spanish unions called the walkout during the busiest month of the summer for staff at Azul Handling, Ryanair’s ground operations subsidiary in Spain, over worker sanctions and the abuse of overtime.
But now the Irish airline has come out to reassure passengers that it does not foresee interruptions to flight schedules, highlighting that the strikes are third-party.
READ ALSO: Ryanair baggage handler strike called at Spain’s main airports
In a statement, the airline said: “Ryanair does not expect any disruption to our operation as a result of these third-party handling strikes in Spain.”
However, despite Azul Handling staff being airport rather than airline staff, baggage handler strikes in Spain have caused travel delays in the past.
Last year, handlers at Iberia Airlines walked out and caused baggage ‘chaos’ across Spanish airports. The industrial action generated the cancellation of hundreds of flights and affected more than 45,600 passengers, with thousands of suitcases piled up around Spanish airports as flights were forced to depart without their bags.
Ryanair claims the upcoming walkouts will have no such effect. The stoppages have been scheduled for August 15th, 16th and 17th. Friday August 15th is a public holiday in Spain, which will mean an increase in travel during an already very busy holiday period.
The strikes are then scheduled to continue every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday until the end of this year, the union said in a statement.
The strike action will be in time slots, taking place between 5 am and 9 am; midday and 3 pm; and 9 pm and midnight on the scheduled strike days.
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The strikes are due to affect all Ryanair bases in Spain, which include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, Seville, Málaga, Alicante, Ibiza, Palma de Mallorca, Girona, Tenerife South, Lanzarote, and Santiago de Compostela.
The union criticises the company for failing to create stable employment and for not ensuring working hours for permanent part-time employees. According to them, there have been a “constant violations of labour rights”.
UGT also complained about staff being “coerced” to work overtime and said that “in some cases disproportionate sanctions ” are issued to those who refuse. For this, staff can be issued punishments of up to 36 days without employment or pay.
