New strike of Belgian and French Ryanair pilots on 23-24 July

Belgium and France-based pilots of Ryanair will not report to work on 23 and 24 July. Their complaints remain unchanged: Ryanair does not implement local labour legislation.

The list of cancelled flights is not yet available, but disruptions are expected.

In Belgium, the demands of the pilots remain unchanged since the previous strike, but the anger is all the stronger this time around, as Didier Lebbe, representing the Christian trade union CNE, points out: “We are also demonstrating following the company’s contemptuous and arrogant behaviour in the face of the social discontent in June“.

The staff demand respect for Belgian labour law with the guarantee of a minimum wage for all. One example particularly frustrates the pilots: “the adaptation of wages to the cost of living in June did not take place“, says Lebbe.

The trade unions also denounce the absence of a Human Resources department based in Belgium and familiar with Belgian social legislation. But management adopts an arrogant and contemptuous attitude, Didier Lebbe explains.

During a recent interview with an Irish daily, Ryanair CEO Michael O’Leary affirmed that only 25 flights had been cancelled since the beginning of the summer while the total is 450 for a single day of strikes, the trade unionist criticises.

The Belgian and French cabin crew should still decide whether or not to join the strike.