Widely announced over the past few days and weeks, the strike by low-cost airline Ryanair's cabin crew has started. Now, the company's Belgian pilots are also threatening to join the strike if Ryanair deploys employees from abroad to replace the striking cabin crew.
Belgian flight attendants are not working this weekend (30 December to 1 January) or next (7 and 8 January) as they demand better working conditions; a total of 128 flights have been cancelled this New Year's weekend alone. Pilots also threaten to start striking if Ryanair brings in non-Belgian cabin crew to replace the striking staff.
"If the airline tries to use non-Belgian cabin crew for flights from Brussels South Charleroi Airport (BSCA) or Brussels Airport Zaventem, the pilots will strike together with the cabin crew," the pilots' union (BCA, PULS, CNE, RTPG) announced.
The pilots have the same demands as the flight attendants: decent wages, respect for the minimum wage in Belgium and respect for Belgian legislation. They also denounce the passivity of the Belgian and European authorities on regulating working conditions.
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While Ryanair has cabin crew across Europe, only those based in Belgium are on strike the coming weekends. Flights from airports outside the country, however, could still take place. For information on which flights have been cancelled, see the Charleroi airport website.
Last summer, Ryanair staff also organised a large strike and investigations into working conditions at the airline have been ongoing for some time, Hans Elsen of the ACV Puls trade union told VRT.
"Since 2018, we have been filing complaints with the social inspectorate and the labour court and the Charleroi labour auditor is investigating," he said. "We are four years on and that investigation is still not completed. It is difficult for workers to wait. They are not always able to make ends meet."
What are your rights if your flight is cancelled?
If a flight is cancelled due to an airline strike, passengers are entitled to a number of things:
The right to a new flight or a refund of your ticket;
The right to compensation (depending on how far your flight is, that amount varies between €250 and €600);
The right to care (meaning you can claim the cost of meals or hotel accommodation if you are stuck abroad).
Depending on the precise circumstances, you can find out exactly what you are entitled to on the European Commission's website.
More information on your rights can also be found here.
