Cabin crew at low-cost airlines Ryanair and Vueling will go on strike across Italy on October 1.
Cancellations and disruptions are possible when pilots and flight attendants quit their jobs to demand higher wages and better working conditions.
That labor dispute – coordinated by Italian unions Filt Cgil and Uiltrasporti – is also a protest against the recent dismissal of 17 Vueling flight attendants based in Rome.
Ryanair staff will be there for you 24 hours a day go outwhile Vueling employees went on strike for a total of four hours from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Why are Italian airline staff on strike?
Vueling and Ryanair Employees are conspicuous to demand better working conditions. The action follows similar strikes in June and July this year.
“Italian workers (deserve) contracts that guarantee decent working conditions and salaries at least equal to the minimum wages stipulated in our country’s national aviation contract,” the union said in a statement.
The union condemned Vueling for sacking 17 “dedicated and professional” flight attendants at Rome’s Fiumicino airport. Union representatives also called for better working conditions for parents, such as exempting “mothers with young children” from night shift work.
Ryanair slammed the unions as “irrelevant” and assured customers there would be no impact on flights.
“Ryanair does not expect any impact on our 3,000 daily flights as a result of planned strike action on Saturday 1st October by three tiny and irrelevant unions that do not represent Ryanair employees, are not recognized by Ryanair and have previously carried out unsupported strikes of any kind Impact on Ryanair’s operations,” said an airline spokesman.
“Ryanair has already secured collective bargaining agreements with 3 major representative unions in Italy (FIT CISL, ANPAC and ANPAV) covering our entire Italian crew and providing accelerated salary recovery, future salary increases and other benefit improvements for our employees. ”
Vueling has been contacted for comment.
The action is the latest in a series of strikes that have taken place grounded aircraft across Europe this summer.
Last week, Italian airline IT was forced to cancel flights after unionized ground staff held a 24-hour strike.
On Friday, a strike by French air traffic control led to more than 1,000 flight disruptions severe disruption for hundreds of thousands of travelers.
The wave of protests is partly a reaction to this skyrocketing inflation this is driving wages down across the continent.
Will my flight be canceled and am I entitled to compensation?
Ryanair cancellations are not expected, a spokesman said. Vueling has not yet indicated if there will be flights canceled as a result of the strike.
According to Italian civil aviation law, flights are guaranteed from 7 a.m. to 10 a.m. and from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. – even during strikes.
However, airlines may have to suspend some travel.
If your flight is delayed or canceled, don’t panic. You are entitled to compensation under the EU regulation EC 261, which protects all flights within the EU.
This means that your airline has an obligation to compensate you if your journey is significantly disrupted, typically a delay of 3 hours or more.
For more details on your rights, see our statement here.
